punk this week: laundry bats, vaguess, o-dex + 22 more
Memphis punk supergroup rippers headline a Labor Day weekend explosion of sick new records.
Happy Labor Day weekend, and what better way to celebrate than with a massive new installment of see/saw’s weekly punk and rock'n'roll recommendations column Punk This Week? There are some absolute treasures this time: an all-power Memphis supergroup’s new full-length, a new electro-punk project from a Marked Man, some top shelf Irish Oi!, the return of the great Vaguess, an absurdist Detroit rock'n'roll LP, and so much more. This one’s over 2,000 words long, so you’re bound to discover something you’ll love in here.
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Laundry Bats: Hangin on a String [HoZac]
As Gonerfest approaches, here’s a surprise treasure from three Memphis greats. Laundry Bats is a supergroup, two-thirds of the Oblivians with Manateees’ Abe White instead of Eric Friedl. This is the most biting rock’n’roll Greg Cartwright and Jack Yarber have made in my adult life, just burly Memphian flexing. There are twists to the expected formulas: “Bizness” sounds fully ripped from the Jagger/Richards early ’70s playbook and “Lawnmower Man” has some spaghetti Western brass. That ambition doesn’t dampen their punk rock impulses, because “Nightmare” and “Cruisin’ on Fumes” are absolute fucking rippers worthy of the Manateees and first wave Oblivians mantle. There’s swagger and snarl and punch. In the world of garage punk supergroups, especially one featuring genuine legends, this is the best case scenario.
