punk this week: pura manía, powerwasher, yankee bastard + 13 more
Listen to some records about the end of the world + feed your rage during 2026’s latest week of unbelievable darkness.
Hey, it’s Punk This Week, see/saw’s recommendations round-up of the best punk and rock'n'roll records. For seven days, the United States has been at war with Iran. It’s incredibly fucked up and heartbreaking. Perhaps fittingly, the best new punk records lean toward the intense—a bevy of exceptional hardcore rippers are here to fuel your anger toward the fascist fucks dropping missiles and wiping out massive swaths of innocent people under the banner of profit.
The spiel: see/saw is an independent reader-supported punk publication. There aren’t any suits paying me a salary (nice), so continued support from readers is the only thing that’s been keeping this thing going for almost two years now. That’s why the weekly column is only available in full to those who subscribe for $4/month, $40/year, or barter (hit me up).
Punk This Week, bonus podcasts (including the new Eraser episode of see/saw jukebox), and the full see/saw radio archive are what’s behind the paywall. There’s free stuff, too, if you want to subscribe for free.
Regardless of whether or not you click below, check out the new Music for Iran benefit compilation. Maybe I’ll see you at one of the shows this month.
Pura Manía: La Banda Es la Ley [Roachleg]
The Vancouver and Mexico City punks Pura Manía return with the follow-up to their stellar 2024 EP Extraños Casos De La Vida Real, and that kicks ass. This band balances buoyant synth-forward new wave with biting, jagged vocals. “Contando Cucarachas En Mi Barrio” has never made counting cockroaches sound so intense, but there’s also pop warmth and production that sounds absolutely top shelf. That’s the magic of La Banda Es la Ley—it’s post-punk that’s catchy, warm, danceable, anthemic, and furious. A soundtrack for smoking cigarettes while cleaning a pocket knife by the light of a gorgeous sunset.
