punk this week: winston hightower, choncy, media puzzle + 13 more
Outstanding new ones from London’s SKINTERN, New Orleans’ Tonya, Perth’s Termite, and more sick records from across the globe.
Hey, it’s Punk This Week, see/saw’s weekly punk and rock’n’roll recommendations column. In addition to standout returns from Winston Hightower, Choncy, and Media Puzzle, we’ve got a stellar debut from New Orleans’ Tonya, some wild shit from London’s SKINTERN, an absolute ripper from Perth’s Termite, and so much more.
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Winston Hightower: 100 Acre Wood [K]
About a week ago in a Minneapolis punk house basement, Columbus’ Winston Hightower cued up a vintage radio commercial advertising an episode of Frasier that “everyone will be talking about around the water cooler tomorrow.” Then, sitting with his electric guitar in his lap, he sang a solo rendition of the minimal singer-songwriter gem “Lay Low.” Winston’s voice has so much character—the way it wobbles just a hair every time he sings is completely entrancing. After a couple songs in that mode, he put on some tiny sunglasses, dropped the beat, and served as a dancefloor commander: “Fuck it up, fuck it up, fuck it up!” With more time and resources, it’s a set that felt like it could’ve aesthetically pivoted at least two more times.
If he’d toured with a full band instead of going solo mode, he would’ve played an entirely different set even more reflective of 100 Acre Wood. “Lay Low” is an understandable first single and an absolute classic about getting canceled, but this is a record that reflects Winston’s sonic restlessness. “Selfish Soother” has pop punk guitars, a skittering beat, and Breeders-adjacent melodies that crackle with the chaos of his unexpected multi-tracked vocal melodies. There are multiple instances on this record where beautifully produced, ultra-satisfying grooves abut scrappy Home Blitz-ass vocals. It’s a record that never sits still, but whether he’s in ballad or banger mode, 100 Acre Wood has one aesthetic center: the crate-digging punk rock polymath sitting behind the microphone.
