punk this week: hedge burners, damaged bug, suitor + 14 more
Members of Dick Diver and Split System make a beautiful new record. John Dwyer maintains a hot streak. Puppet Wipes + Chain Whip join forces for some blown-out rock'n'roll. All this and the promise of Trance Bill!
Hey, it’s Punk This Week, see/saw’s punk and rock'n'roll column. This time we’ve got new work from Hedge Burners (members of Dick Diver + Split System), John Dwyer’s Damaged Bug project, Cleveland’s Suitor, Suburban Pagans (members of Puppet Wipes), egg punk from Spain, hardcore from Minneapolis, and much more.
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There’s a couple big shows this weekend in Minneapolis celebrating two years of see/saw. If you’re around, you should come to the before year 2 warehouse party & the big see/saw year 2 party. The Sleaze are reuniting! It’s going to be a blast, so grab tickets and come say hey.
Hedge Burners: Fall Out of the Future [Legless]
If you’re not a massive fan of Steph Hughes’ work, perhaps you’ve never gotten completely obsessed with Dick Diver or Boomgates or her standout cameo in the UV Race movie. Steph’s fronting Hedge Burners—the Melbourne and Rye-based band alongside Arron Mawson, Jackson Allen, and Shaun Gionis. Call ’em dolewave if you want, and you’d be forgiven. They’re a band that takes their time, moving gradually with perfect hooks and vocals. “Angel Lee” is a great example of their tectonic shifts—a 3.5-minute breeze that envelops the listener.
Hedge Burners still manage to get the blood-pumping with faster tracks like “Long Time Listening,” and they absolutely knocked one out of the park in late 2025 with the stomping and wistful single “As the Headlights Go.” Be careful or you’ll become obsessed with the harmonica undercurrent or vocal harmonies on the late album swoonfest, “Concrete Waterfall.” I know I did.
