Cruel
The best punk or garage album I heard in 2023 was the high-octane rocker New York City by the Men, which also made my overall best-music list for the year.
But honestly, how do you round up the best punks albums of the year?
So many bands can’t possibly afford — or even want to — hire a publicist to get the word out about their music.
Here’s where I’m highly dependent on word of mouth. Please let me know if there’s some music I should hear!
In the spirit of sharing good stuff that you probably didn’t hear in 2023, I’ve put together a list of five releases that most everyone missed.
This debut from Chicago-based Cruel is so good. Four solid songs to be played loud. Looking forward to more from this four piece, now signed to an imprint of the label Fire Talk.
Seattle-based Lysol has been around for more than a minute, putting out its first demos in 2015. This four-song release was put out as a limited cassette, but it’s also available for listen and download on Bandcamp.
Lysol
Chicago’s HoZac Records has an uncanny skill of unearthing great, barely-noticed punk, garage and power pop albums from decades ago. It also signs new bands you should hear. Gentilesky, from Sardinia, Italy, is a good example.
Like HoZac, Trouble in Mind, another Chicago record label, signs bands that you won’t hear anywhere else. Germany’s ONYON makes angular music that rocks.
Feed Me to the Doves – Guardian Singles
The latest album from New Zealand’s Guardian Singles also was released by Trouble in Mind. There’s a lot of exciting punk/post punk music coming from that part of the world.
Here are some other 2023 punk and garage releases that are worth a listen:
All the Young Punks 