punk this week: eddy current suppression ring, cruelster, tvo + 14 more
A huge week for new punk records that also includes new Powerplant and the Wind Ups, plus some hardcore blasts from 11PM Records.
Hello, it’s Punk This Week, see/saw’s weekly column featuring recommendations of the best new punk + rock'n'roll records. Eddy Current Suppression Ring are back with a new EP, which is enough to make it an excited week for new punk records before you get to the stellar new records from Cruelster, TVO, the Wind Ups, Powerplant, and more.
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Eddy Current Suppression Ring: Shapes and Forms [Cool Death]
Earlier this year, Eddy Current Suppression Ring returned with “Swimming Hole,” a YouTube-only banger that stood shoulder to shoulder with their best. The band started popping up at shows in Australia, and now there’s a new 7” on Cool Death. Their last record was the 2019 full-length All in Good Time, a nearly decade-belated reminder that this band never made a splashy breakup announcement or defined what was going on with them. They could rev the machine back up at any time; it’s not like Mikey Young has nothing else going on. This has always been a band of artistic convenience, one that never aspired to be the next big thing or inspire legions of artists. They went away, they came back, and they’re back again.
Shapes and Forms does not have a “Swimming Hole” level “holy shit what a hit” situation going for it, but “Shapes and Forms” and “Despite It All” come close. They’re great songs that require more patience than the immediate dopamine rush of their most iconic songs. The Camper Van Beethoven cover doesn’t do much for me beyond the original, but there’s an easy hang nature to this entire 7”. To be frank, All in Good Time was my least favorite of the ECSR catalog, and this new one feels like it gets closer to boiling the band’s strengths back down to their essence. As much as I’ll always lose my mind to “You Let Me Be Honest With You,” this is a band that thrives at a simmer. There’s no better band at riding a groove and letting it seep into your pores. The riffs hit and Brendan’s voice sounds great. I hope they don’t take nine years to press “Swimming Hole” on vinyl.
