Crippling Alcoholism

Cripping Alcoholism are a five-piece noise rock/post-punk band from Boston, Massachusetts that have been around since at least 2022. They've released two full-lengths thus far, with their latest With Love From A Padded Room having really caught my attention. This is some good, unique stuff here. It's a reverbating echo chamber of despondency, its misery incarnate. These tracks wallow in cold synths, chorus-laden guitars, distant drums, and baritone vocals with lyrical subject matter that explores the trenches of addiction, self-hatred, organized religion, and vengeance. For as dark and gothic as they get, they still manage to work in surprisingly strong hooks (like on "Liquid Jesus" and "Fatherweight Kid"). It's one of the most intriguing albums I've heard this year, and worth checking out if you're a fan of bands as varied as Type O Negative, Swans, The Cure, Have a Nice Life, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, and Chat Pile. Enjoy.

When The Drugs That Made You Sick Are The Drugs That Make You Better (2022)

1. Beloved

2. Sandpaper

3. Group Home

4. Slumber Party

5. Your Body As A Gulag

6. Trash Bride

7. Please Stop Hurting Me, I'll Tell You Anything

8. Hungry Time

With Love From A Padded Room (2024)

1. I'll Pay More If You Let Me Watch

2. Red Looks Good On Him

3. Lipstick With No Lips

4. Ottessa

5. Liquid Jesus

6. Evil Has A Babyface

7. Sav

8. Rough Sleepers

9. Featherweight Kid

10. Satan Is The One

11. Templeton

12. Mob Dad

Camgirl (2025)

1. Mr. Sentimental

2. Saran Wrapped Cash

3. LADIES' NIGHT (feat. Luxury Skin)

4. Pay Pigs

5. bedrot

6. MONET

7. Pretty in Pink (feat Luxury Skin)

8. Pliers (feat Luxury Skin)

9. screentime

10. I Have a Key to Your House

11. CAMGIRL

12. Sweet Talk (feat Amoekama)

13. TARAVISTA (feat Luxury Skin)

14. Mary Kate & Ashley

15. despair

Bandcamp

Spotify

Apple Music

Website

Instagram

High Vis

High Vis are a five-piece post-punk band from London, England that formed in 2016. They've released a handful of EP's as well as two full-lengths, the most recent of which came out last year. As usual, I'm pretty late to the game on this, since Blending seemed to keep popping up last year, and it took me this long to finally check it out. Of course, this is a fantastic album; it sounds like a bunch of hardcore kids got really into The Stone Roses, The Sound and Ride, among a litany of other acts you could name. It's a unique fusion of influence, with jangly guitars drenched in reverb and chorus swirling around a tightly-knit and driving rhythm section and distinct, shouted vocals. "Trauma Bonds" in particular was an incredible highlight. I'm sure this is now old news to most of you, but if you haven't given this band a listen yet, do yourself a favour and get on it. Enjoy.

I (2017)

1. A First For When You're Down

2. Positive Intervention

II (2017)

1. Luxor

2. Tribute

No Sense No Feeling (2019)

1. Choose To Lose

2. Walking Wires

3. Stabbed

4. The Bastard Inside

5. Voices

6. Altitude

7. Blood Moon

8. New Asbestos

Society Exists (2020)

1. Down To You

2. Desire

Blending (2022)

1. Talk For Hours

2. 0151

3. Out Cold

4. Blending

5. Trauma Bonds

6. Fever Dream

7. Morality Test

8. Join Hands

9. Shame

Guided Tour (2024)

1. Guided Tour

2. Drop Me Out

3. Worth The Wait

4. Feeling Bless

5. Fill The Gap

6. Farringdon

7. Mob DLA
8. Untethered

9. Deserve It

10. Mind's A Lie

11. Gone Forever

Bandcamp

Spotify

Apple Music

Instagram

Facebook

No Trend

No Trend were a noise rock/post-punk band from Ashton, Maryland that were around from 1982 to 1988. The first incarnation of the band was a four-piece, comprised of members who came into the band with a punk/hardcore background. Despite this, they were intentionally antagonistic towards the DC scene they existed in the periphery of, wanting to eschew the subculture that had grown out of it. They set out to make music that they wanted to make, with no creed or agenda, and it shows. For their early material, Flipper and Saccharine Trust are often cited as loose comparisons, though No Trend really did occupy a space of their own. Teen Love was their debut, a 7" they self-released (as they would for the majority of their material). This was followed up by a full-length, Too Many Humans. These are the best introductions to the band, as they immediately throw you into the misanthropic, nihilistic world they created. Through driving bass lines, pummelling drums, and trebly feedback-laden guitars, vocalist Jeff Mentges delivered shrieks, screams, and the occasional spoken word. It makes for an impactful listen, and highly recommended to anyone looking for raw, unbridled negativity. 

Following these early years, the band experienced a line-up overhaul, with Mentges being the only original member left for by their second album. 1985's A Dozen Dead Roses was a major shift from the overt, noisy and hardcore-adjacent sound they were founded on. Though there are still flashes of that, they expanded their sonic palette to include elements of funk and jazz, while keeping the bass as the driving force behind these songs. Instrumentally, their palette is widened to include synths and saxophones, and the guitars are laden with chorus, taking on a more traditional lead role with a litany of classic rock-esque solos. A handful of tracks were also done as collabs with Lydia Lunch, which were also released on a separate EP. Overall, I absolutely love this album, as much as their early work, because it maintains that desperate, pessimistic aggression while exploring a new, genuinely unique avenue.

By 1986, the band had now rounded out as 12-piece to include strings, horns, and synths as mainstays of their sound. They continued on this wave of hybrid experimentation into their next full-length, with more layers of instrumentation and a cleaner sound. This record was put out by Touch And Go, their first to not be self-released. It was followed by another album slated to be released in 1989, but was shelved until 2001. More, as it became, completed their full heel-turn into deconstructionist jazz-funk, with their cleanest sound to date, but too Beefheartian avant-garde to ever come close to a traditional rock outfit. 

No Trend were a one-of-a-kind band with an equally intriguing legacy. There's a few great articles that came out around the reissue of Too Many Humans / Teen Love, which I suggest checking from Bandcamp, The Washington Post and Tidal for more information. If you're new to this band, the aforementioned reissue is probably your best bet for a starting point. Enjoy.

Teen Love 7" (1983)

1. Mass Sterilization Caused By Venereal Disease

2. Cancer

3. Teen Love

Too Many Humans (1983)

1. Family Style

2. Blow Dry

3. Reality Breakdown

4. Kiss Ass To Your Peer Group

5. Fashion Tips For The 80's

6. Do As You're Told

7. Too Many Humans

8. For The Fun Of It All

9. Mindless Little Insects

10. Happiness Is...

Teen Love 12" (1984)

1. Mass Sterilization Caused By Venereal Disease

2. Cancer

3. Die

4. Teen Love

5. Untitled

When Death Won't Solve Your Problem (1985)

1. Two Seconds Til Non Existance

2. Die

3. Cancer

4. Mass Sterilization Caused By Venereal Disease

5. Too Many Humans

6. Fun Of It All

7. One Last Dream

8. Killing Me

9. Heartache

10. Mindless Little Insects

11. Blow

12. Teenlove

Heart Of Darkness (1985)

1. Your Love

2. Tear You Apart

3. The Curse

4. Who's To Say

A Dozen Dead Roses (1985)

1. Karma Nights

2. Your Love

3. Tear You Apart

4. Never Again

5. All Of Nothing

6. Good Day Mrs. Hamm

7. For The Fun Of It All

8. The Curse

9. Heartache

10. Who's To Say

Tritonian Nash-Vegas Polyester Complex (1987)

1. One Under Parr

2. Copperhead

3. Without Me

4. Fred Reality

5. Space Disco

6. Cry Of The Dirtballs

7. Angel Angel Down We Go

8. Overweight Baby Boom Critter

9. Choc-O-Jet

10. Freak

11. Bel-Pre Rising

The Early Months (1995)

1. Cancer

2. Hanging Out In Georgetown

3. Kiss Ass

4. Family Style

5. Reality Breakdown

6. Human Garbage

7. Purple Paisleys Make Me Happy

8. Mass Sterilization

9. Teen Love

10. Turn Away

11. Cancer

12. Blow Dry

13. Polyester Man

14. Kiss Ass

15. Teen Love

16. Mass Sterilization

17. Hanging Out In Georgetown

18. Death

19. Punker

More (2001)

1. Intro

2. Fuzzy Dice

3. Sorry I Asked

4. Spank Me (With Your Love Monkey, Baby)

5. Last On Right, Second Row

6. Bel-Pre Declining

7. No Hopus Opus

You Deserve Your Life (2018)

1. Cancer

2. Hanging Out In Georgetown

3. Kiss Ass

4. Family Style

5. Reality Breakdown

6. Human Garbage

7. Purple Paisleys Make Me Happy

8. Mass Sterilization

9. Teen Love

10. Death (Live)

11. Punker (Live)

Too Many Humans / Teen Love (2020)

1. Family Style

2. Blow Dry

3. Reality Breakdown

4. Kiss Ass To Your Peer Group

5. Fashion Tips For The 80's

6. Do As You're Told

7. Too Many Humans

8. For The Fun Of It All

9. Mindless Insects

10. Happiness Is...

11. Mass Sterilization Caused By Venereal Disease

12. Cancer

13. Die

14. Teen Love

15. Untitled

16. Cancer (demo)

17. Mass Sterilization Caused By Venereal Disease (demo)

18. Teen Love (demo)

19. Hanging Out In Georgetown (demo)

20. Kiss Ass To Your Peer Group (demo)

21. Family Style (demo)

22. Reality Breakdown (demo)

23. Human Garbage (demo)

24. Purple Paisleys Make Me Happy (demo)

25. Do As You're Told (live at Mabuhay Gardens, San Francisco, 1983)

26. Fashion Tips For The 80's (live at Mabuhay Gardens, San Francisco, 1983)

27. Mindless Little Insects (live at Mabuhay Gardens, San Francisco, 1983)

28. Reality Breakdown (live at Mabuhay Gardens, San Francisco, 1983)

29. Teen Love (live at Mabuhay Gardens, San Francisco, 1983)

30. Cancer (live at Mabuhay Gardens, San Francisco, 1983)

31. Family Style (live at Mabuhay Gardens, San Francisco, 1983)

32. Blow Dry (live at Mabuhay Gardens, San Francisco, 1983)

33. Kiss Ass To Your Peer Group (live at Mabuhay Gardens, San Francisco, 1983)

34. Mass Sterilization Caused By Venereal Disease (live at Mabuhay Gardens, San Francisco, 1983)

35. Do As You're Told (live at Cathay de Grande, Hollywood, 1983)

36. Fashion Tips For The 80's (live at Cathay de Grande, Hollywood, 1983)

37. Mindless Little Insects (live at Cathay de Grande, Hollywood, 1983)

38. Reality Breakdown (live at Cathay de Grande, Hollywood, 1983)

39. Cancer (live at Cathay de Grande, Hollywood, 1983)

40. Family Style (live at Cathay de Grande, Hollywood, 1983)

41. Kiss Ass To Your Peer Group (live at Cathay de Grande, Hollywood, 1983)

42. Teen Love (live at Cathay de Grande, Hollywood, 1983)

43. Mass Sterilization Caused By Venereal Disease (live at Cathay de Grande, Hollywood, 1983)

Bandcamp

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Apple Music

Scratch Acid

Scratch Acid were a four-piece noise rock/post-punk band from Austin, Texas that were initially around from 1982 to 1987. They released two EP's and one album of their distinct abrasive and wild sound, marked by sharp, distorted and dissonant guitars, with pulsing rhythms and vocal yowls. They've been incredibly influential in their own right, and along with bands such as Big Black and the Butthole Surfers, took the punk foundation and pushed its boundary with chaotic noise. Scratch Acid are also fairly known for its members, who would go on to be in a ton of major bands after. The most notable of these is The Jesus Lizard, whose line-up included half of Scratch Acid, as well as Rapeman and Ministry.

Touch And Go Records put out a compilation of all their recorded material in 1991. They are a quinessential Touch and Go band, despite only one of their original releases being put out by the label. I included both the compilation and individual releases below. Scratch Acid also reunited in 2006 and 2012 for live shows. Enjoy.

Scratch Acid (1984)

1. Cannibal

2. Greatest Gift

3. Monsters

4. Owner's Lament

5. She Said

6. Mess

7. El Espectro

8. Lay Screaming

Just Keep Eating (1986)

1. Crazy Dan

2. Eyeball

3. Big Bone Lick

4. Unlike A Bapist

5. Damned For All Time

6. Ain't That Love

7. [untitled]

8. Holes

9. Albino Slug

10. Spit A Kiss

11. Amicus

12. Cheese Plug

13. [untitled]

Berserker (1987)

1. Mary Had A Little Drug Problem

2. For Crying Out Loud

3. Moron's Moron

4. Skin Drips

5. This Is Bliss

6. Flying Houses

The Greatest Gift (1991)

1. Cannibal

2. Greatest Gift

3. Monsters

4. Owner's Lament

5. She Said

6. Mess

7. El Espectro

8. Lay Screaming

9. Crazy Dan

10. Eyeball

11. Big Bone Lick

12. Unlike A Bapist

13. Damned For All Time

14. Ain't That Love

15. [untitled]

16. Holes

17. Albino Slug

18. Spit A Kiss

19. Amicus

20. Cheese Plug

21. [untitled]

22. Mary Had A Little Drug Problem

23. For Crying Out Loud

24. Moron's Moron

25. Skin Drips

26. This Is Bliss

27. Flying Houses

28. The Scale Song

Spotify

Apple Music

The Great Unraveling

The Great Unraveling were a three-piece post-hardcore/post-punk band from Baltimore, Maryland that were active from 1995 to 1997. They were started by members of Universal Order of Armageddon and Born Against, most notably Tonie Joy, who was also in Moss Icon. They carried on the post-hardcore sound of their previous bands, but toned down the aggression in favour more noise and math rock elements. They utilized odd time signatures and sharp chromatic-scale riffs, something fans of bands like Unwound would undoubtedly dig. Their LP came out on Kill Rock Stars, while their first EP was put out by Vermiform and second EP by Tonie Joy's own Vermin Scum Records Enjoy.

Space Travel / Left With Only Out (1996)

1. Space Travel

2. Left With Only Out

The Angel Rang Virtue (1996)

1. Burden of Proof

2. Running On Fumes

The Great Unraveling (1997)

1. The Calling Beckons

2. Alien Landscape

3. Demons Linger

4. Possessed

5. Wellness

6. Head For The Hills

7. New Frontier

Bandcamp

My Bloody Valentine

Post 900. It's been almost two years since 800, and despite my inactivity we made it through another 100. Thus, another milestone band is required to honour this. Not only that, but 900 posts means we are obligated to make it to 1000, which will hopefully not take another two years to get to. As always, thanks to anyone still sticking around after all these years, this band probably doesn't need any introduction but we'll do a quick one anyway. Enjoy.

My Bloody Valentine are a four-piece band from Dublin, Ireland that began in 1983. They are best known for creating the template for shoegaze, a genre marked by heavy distortion, reverb, glide guitar, and quiet, low-in-the-mix vocals. This is mostly credited to the release of their seminal 1991 album Loveless, an absolute classic and landmark album that has proved to be infinitely influential to this date. This is not to discredit their work prior and after it, which we'll get into into now.

MBV (as they shall be known henceforth) was started by guitarist/vocalist Kevin Shields and drummer Colm Ó Cíosóig, who would both remain consistent members of the band. They were joined by a revolving door of band members early on, with the other notable one being vocalist David Conway, who appeared on their first few releases. Their early sound was a mix of post-punk and gothic rock, with a clear nod to the punk rock sound they had played in bands prior to this one. Bassist Debbie Googe joined in 1985, and became an essential member to this day.

They quickly evolved and started playing with a jangly twee/dream pop sound, especially around the release of Strawberry Wine and Ecstasy. These were the first releases to feature Conway's replacement, new guitarist/vocalist Bilinda Butcher, whose hushed vocals and added guitar layer became instrumental in defining MBV's classic sound. Under the influence of The Jesus and Mary Chain, who had recently released their own landmark albums Psychocandy and Darklands, MBV's final form began to take shape. With their line-up solidified, they began crafting pop songs buried beneath guitars lathered in effects and feedback. They also started incorporating their seminal "glide guitar" technique (bending the whammy bar as a chord is strummed). 1988 brought both the You Made Me Realise EP and their debut LP Isn't Anything, both absolute essentials to their discography. Though it can be overshadowed by the monolith of Loveless, their debut is still an absolute staple in the development of shoegaze, with some of their best songs on it that blur the line between pop and experimental music.

The Glider and Tremolo EP's were released in 1990 and 1991 respectively, and can be seen as stepping stones to the finished product of Loveless, even including songs that would later appear on the LP. The sound they have become renowned for clearly takes shape here, with the reverb and distortion being turned up, and the vocal mix being turned down. Finally, after a relentless two-year recording process that allegedly nearly bankrupt their label, Loveless was released on November 4, 1991. There aren't many genres that have an undisputed crown jewel the way that shoegaze has Loveless. That's not to discount albums like Slowdive's Souvlaki or Ride's Nowhere, which are incredible in their own right. It's just that no other album has quite captured the same fervor and legacy that MBV's sophomore release did. I could go on about the heavenly euphoria this album exudes, how listening to it feels like being wrapped up in a warm dream, its cosmic elation of euphoria, its auditory perfection, etc. It's been told a thousand times with a thousand metaphors. It's an experience to say the least, and an album I find myself returning to time and time again just to submerge myself in its 50 minutes of bliss. There is not a misstep on it, and its critical praise and fan regard is every bit deserved.

Following the release and tour of Loveless, the band signed to Island Records to work on their follow-up. Despite multiple recording sessions, that material was all scrapped. By 1997, MBV had virtually dissolved, with Cíosóig and Googe leaving the band, and Shields becoming somewhat of a recluse (though he did contribute to the soundtrack of Lost in Translation). In 2008, the core four members reunited and began touring again. In 2012, their two LP's were remastered and re-released, along with a compilation that included all their EP's from their Creation Records years, in addition to other previously released and unreleased tracks from that era. A year later, 22 years since Loveless, they released their long-awaited follow-up album, m b v. This consisted of some material recorded prior to their breakup in 1997, as well as new material from as early as 2006. Despite the huge gaps in time during its recording, this album flows flawlessly. The band did the unthinkable and culled together an album that served to further their legacy as titans of their genre. with another one of the best releases in its respective decade. Since then they have been fairly quiet, with talk of a fourth album coming up. Considering their release history, I wouldn't get my hopes up for it until at least 2035, but we'll see. 

MBV are without a doubt one of the most essential bands ever posted, so I do hope you find something to take away from here. As I said previously, they are a massively well-known and popular band so most people are more than likely already familiar with them. If you are, I encourage you to continue revisiting them (especially their earlier work, which is often overlooked). For the few that might not be, I implore you to give them a listen. Again, thanks for numero 900, and I'll see you at 1000.

This Is Your Bloody Valentine (1985)

1. Forever And Again

2. Homelovin' Guy

3. Don't Cramp My Style

4. Tiger In My Tank

5. The Love Gang

6. Inferno

7. The Last Supper

Man You Love To Hate - Live (1985)

1. Scavengers

2. The Devil Made Me Do It

3. The Love Gang

4. Inferno

5. The Man You Love To Hate

6. Homelovin' Guy

7. A Town Called Bastard

8. Tiger In My Tank

Geek! (1985)

1. No Place To Go

2. Moonlight

3. Love Machine

4. The Sandman Never Sleeps

The New Record By My Bloody Valentine (1986)

1. Lovelee Sweet Darlene

2. By The Danger In Your Eyes

3. On Another Rainy Saturday

4. We're So Beautiful

Sunny Sundae Smile (1987)

1. Sunny Sundae Smile

2. Paint A Rainbow

3. Kiss The Eclipse

4. Sylvie's Head

Ecstasy (1987)
1. She Loves You No Less

2. The Things I Miss

3. I Don't Need You

4. (You're) Safe In Your Sleep (From This Girl)

5. Clair

6.You've Got Nothing

7. (Please) Lose Yourself In Me

 

Strawberry Wine (1987)

1. Strawberry Wine

2. Never Say Goodbye

3. Can I Touch You

You Made Me Realise (1988)

1. You Made Me Realise

2. Slow

3. Thorn

4. Cigarette In Your Bed

5. Drive It All Over Me

Feed Me With Your Kiss (1988)

1. Feed Me With Your Kiss

2. I Believe

3. Emptiness Inside

4. I Need No Trust

Isn't Anything (1988)

1. Soft As Snow (But Warm Inside)

2. Lose My Breath

3. Cupid Come

4. (When You Wake) You're Still In A Dream

5. No More Sorry

6. All I Need

7. Feed Me With Your Kiss

8. Sueisfine

9. Several Girls Galore

10. You Never Should

11. Nothing Much To Lose

12. I Can See It (But I Can't Feel It)

Ecstasy and Wine (1989)

1. Strawberry Wine

2. Never Say Goodbye

3. Can I Touch You

4. She Loves You No Less

5. The Things I Miss

6. I Don't Need You

7. (You're) Safe In Your Sleep (From This Girl)

8. Clair

9. You've Got Nothing

10. (Please) Lose Yourself In Me

Glider (1990)

1. Soon

2. Glider

3. Don't Ask Why

4. Off Your Face

Tremolo (1991)

1. To Here Knows When

2. Swallow

3. Honey Power

4. Moon Song

Loveless (1991)

1. Only Shallow

2. Loomer

3. Touched

4. To Here Knows When

5. When You Sleep

6. I Only Said

7. Come In Alone

8. Sometimes

9. Blown a Wish

10. What You Want

11. Soon

EP's 1988-1991 (2012)

Disc 1

1. You Made Me Realise

2. Slow

3. Thorn

4. Cigarette In Your Bed

5. Drive It All Over Me

6. Feed Me With Your Kiss

7. I Believe

8. Emptiness Inside

9. I Need No Trust

10. Soon

11. Glider

12. Don't Ask Why

13. Off Your Face

Disc 2

1. To Here Knows When

2. Swallow

3. Honey Power

4. Moon Song

5. Instrumental No. 2

6. Instrumental No. 1

7. Glider

8. Sugar

9. Angel

10. Good For You

11. How Do You Do It

m b v (2013)

1. She Found Now

2. Only Tomorrow

3. Who Sees You

4. Is This and Yes

5. If I Am

6. New You

7. In Another Way

8. Nothing Is

9. Wonder 2