Punk resides on the brink of emotion, an unencapsulated overflowing of any given mental state. The release punk anthems bring about is primal — a frenetic simplification of feeling. It can be seen in the physically thrashing bodies packed into a mosh pit or the violent hurricane of hair flying as if to be released from its scalp. Its bare-all approach can be felt in even the most hardened parts of the self. Often unintelligible, messy and brilliantly political, punk’s grip on masses of undervalued humans stretches back decades and remains a ferocious underbelly in the current cultural schema. It is an ever-evolving landscape brimming with experimentation. In an ouroboros-like ritual, new acts frequently devour the old, making sure no one band or specific sound holds reign over the genre. So, in an ode to the genre I sold my soul to years ago, here are the best albums and EPs from emerging punk acts of 2022.
THE BOBBY LEES — Bellevue
Released via Ipecac Recordings
With the release of their third studio album, THE BOBBY LEES reprised their role as resident chaos — whether good or evil remains to be seen. Bellevue is an exodus from known-punk tropes — a pantheon of experimental rhythms, guttural vocals and lascivious bass lines. Nick Casa’s guitar licks mimic the likes of early Jack White and Amyl & the Sniffers while still remaining wholly original. The New Yorkers swung big with Bellevue. Saying it simply “paid off” feels like a reduction of BOBBY LEES’ triumphs.
Soul Glo — Diaspora Problems
Released via Epitaph
Kicking off with a strong bong-rip rhythm you’ll most likely recognize, Soul Glo released one of the most impressive feats seen on the punk/hardcore scene in 2022. Soul Glo continued in the grand tradition of East Coast acts waking the entire schema the hell up. Diaspora Problems doesn’t just touch but pounces on issues such as police brutality, generational trauma and the duality of tokenism and ostracization as black people within the punk community — and yet the Philly four-piece still manages an element of humor, as if laughing in the face of lived experience. Despite the damning nature, Diaspora Problems is an incredible ascension for the end-times.
Mangy — Is This A Little Too Much? EP
Released via Moodkiller Records
Vying for the spotlight like rabid dogs fighting over a bone, every element of Mangy’s 2022 EP screams at one another in a cacophony of beautiful irony. It is this competition that coddles the brilliance of Is This A Little Too Much? At just eight minutes long, the EP speeds through itself while the Seattle punks continue to lyrically tout feminist causes.
DITZ — The Great Regression
Released via Alcopop!
The abrasive Brighton five-piece DITZ got down and dirty with this eclectic mix of classic Brit punk — lamenting the struggles of the working class while letting heavy accents bleed through vocals — and new-age hardcore drops. Funky beats caress the ear through the unstoppably gritty guitar’s momentum. Though at times the subject matter feels like history repeating itself (after all, punk was bred amongst worker uprisings and the disillusionment of government control), the musicality of this record has undeniably unique chops.
Malice K — Clean up on Aisle Heaven
Self-released
Theatric and emotive, at times acoustic and other times ambient punk, Malice K is a purveyor of fucking with the form. Clean up on Aisle Heaven moves through its subtle, downtrodden mourning with a refinement most emo bands sonically seek their entire lives. However, if the mood calls for a distinctly heavy, body-moving moment, “This Drug Makes Me Feel Like a Man” is the ticket.
Antibroth — Antibroth
Released via Warner Brews
Syncopation is the name of the game on Antibroth’s debut self-titled. Beats rest and drop at their own discretion, creating a tangible intrigue throughout every corner of the record. This introduction to the world of Antibroth bends the genre listener’s ear toward euphoria. Jeremy Mock’s guttural, sick-sounding vocals contain no diction where diction should lie yet every emotion makes an appearance while the guitar licks the listener into a frenzy.
Malflora — Mama I’m Bad
Released via Thrilling Living
Lo-fi in the grungiest, most excellent way, Malflora’s Mama I’m Bad is a testament to experimentation in punk. The New Orleans experimental outfit employs everything from hearty gasps to barking in the face of white guilt. “Imagine the possibilities, redefine the barriers” repeats throughout the track “Emergent,” a thinly-shrouded repainting of the future for BIPOC achievement. There is a threat contained in these chants — get on board or get bent.
Prison Affair — Demo 3
Self-released
Hailing from Barcelona, Prison Affair has managed to break some of the strangest, coolest ditties onto the punk scene. At times cartoonish, at others, surf-rock, the third demo from the otherworldly outfit falls into a dual camp of experimental and well… campy. The lyrics are unintelligible so the guitar speaks, culminating in some of the wittiest and most amusing sounds of 2022.
foxtails — Fawn
Self-released
Ever heard a woman scream painfully over a meandering Celtic violin? In a world filled with anguish and discontented youth, now you can. foxtails’ fourth full-length album holds the blueprint for loss of innocence and the whirlwind of accouterments that tend to tag along. Crying out “why?” to a silent room, vocals switch suddenly between melancholy serenades and diaphragmatic wailing. Mimicking the distraught drums, Fawn, from top to bottom, exposes a disjointed but brave new world.
Nape Neck — Look Alive EP
Self-released
Residing in the off-beat, Nape Neck unapologetically weaponized uneasiness on their latest EP Look Alive. The dueling vocals are beholden to the bass and drums, unable to speak without their permission. The Leeds punks fostered an element of excitement and impending something on this release, though it is never quite clear what all the raucous licks are leading to. That’s okay — the journey is exquisite anyway.
Featured photo courtesy of THE BOBBY LEES on Facebook.
