We used to get together, grab a drink, and review the record as we listened to it. To find those conversations, read the drinkscussions. They’re like written podcasts!
One of us decided to stick around, and is now writing reviews with both praise and criticism.
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EP Review: Diagnostics – Thoughts to Forget
Diagnostics’ Thoughts to Forget feels like a journey through the different musical influences that shaped the band, a love letter to the scene that built them up.
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Review: A Wilhelm Scream – Cheap Heat
Last December, I took a flight up north to see A Wilhelm Scream play their 20-year anniversary of Ruiner. It’s the record they were touring off when I first saw them, a wide-eyed kid at their first music festival, back in 2006, wondering who this band with these long lines for their merchandise was, and…
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Review: Smacked – Rise and Grind
I first heard of the Slovenian band Smacked about two years ago, when they played the Beach Stage on Punk Rock Holiday, and had them on my list of bands to check out. Many drinks, and a solid sunburn, in, all I can remember from that is thinking it was a great set and a…
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Record Review: Oh the Humanity! – Ground to Dust
Ground to Dust hits almost every sweet spot for me. The production is outstanding. It’s fast and technical without losing touch. It switches introspection and extroversion seamlessly.
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Record Review: Neckscars – UNHINGED
The first year or two after the lockdowns ended, the venues reopened, and New Yorkers finally could get back into their favorite pastime of staying out past midnight, a small scene emerged in the melodic punk scene – bands that were supposed to get their momentum right as it all shut down. With a ferocity,…
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Record Review: Back Teeth – Ultimate Worrier
Fans of Iron Chic, rejoice. You finally have a new record to listen to, it’s just slightly more British.
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Record Review: The Carolyn – Pyramid Schemes of Grief
With Pyramid Schemes of Grief, it feels like the Carolyn has established their sound. They rounded out their rough edges, and created a record they should be proud of.
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Record Review: Burnt Tapes – New Lungs
“The Black Heart? That’s where the old people go, it’s where my dad hangs out with his friends. How old is he? Forty-two.” – some kid who likes ska. It is a Friday evening in Camden, and the local scene is gathered outside of the Black Heart. I laugh as I think back on the…
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Record Review: Tired Radio – Hope in the Haze
It is September 12th. We are nearing midnight, and I am sitting at a bar in the city of my birth. I guess that they call it Dutch courage for a reason, as I grab my phone and text Tony: “Hey, if I review the record, would it be an issue if I am myself,…
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Drinkscussing: Goodbye Blue Monday – Let’s Go Goodbye Blue Monday By Goodbye Blue Monday
I’ll never figure out if the title is Let’s Go Goodbye Blue Monday or Let’s Go Goodbye Blue Monday By Goodbye Blue Monday Knowing this band, it’s the latter. 10000 percent the latter We are doing this right after Tired Radio, because it’s Sunday night and there’s work tomorrow, so let’s keep the misery going.…
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Drinkscussing: Tired Radio – Lousy, Thanks.
We’ve got this entire backlog and yet, are giving Tired Radio preferential treatment. Haha of course we are (also never too early to hype bands playing Music Fests Here!) True that! Dead and Gone: the Sequel (Mo’ Dead Mo’ Gone) So this is a remake of a 2017 song that’s been on the Tired Radio…
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Drinkscussing: Character Actors – The Hard Part
We got When the Walls Fell out this week, so there’s only one logical follow-up there: Character Actors. Makes perfect sense; also if y’all haven’t peeped that interview, you should! I spent too much time on writing it out manually because I forgot about the existence of transcription software, so yes, please take the time…
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Drinkscussing: When the Walls Fell – Build Back Better
Guess what? It’s DRINKSCUSSION TIME. We are quite literally a month behind on everything, so see us kicking some things out. I thought that’s how musicdieshere time works Bright side; fixing to be better at these than we were last year! That’s cause we’ve been so busy booking shows as well. Good thing all the…
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Drinkscussing: The Overbites – Time to Go
We couldn’t not do this for the Overbites, right? If you’re a fan of the 90’s Epitaph sound, the Ergs, the Murderburgers, the Copyrights, early Descendents, etc, etc, you should be really give this one a spin. Time to catch up on some records, don’t you think? Never not time for that with us Good…
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Drinkscussing: Bobby Edge – Algorithm and Blues
Bobby asked us nicely to review his upcoming record – as if we weren’t planning to anyway. Haha it would have found our way to us regardless I think. His email opened: “Hey there! I’m Bobby Edge and that’s not just an “edgy” stage name. Although technically it is, since my name is really Robert.…
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Drinkscussing Preview: Character Actors
We may miss out on the pet pictures if we do this, but Character Actors has been such a constant in our emails, that I now want to break all our rules and review some singles. There’s three songs released and we might as well predict records we’ll love in 2023 instead of working on…
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Drinkscussing: Railsplitter – Little (EP)
All right, Marcus, tell me a bit about this band that made you convince me to spend the next 9 minutes reviewing their latest EP Saw em in DC on that Worn in Red/American Television/Debt Crisis show and really dug em. I think I’d heard a song off the new EP beforehand so had made…
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Drinkscussing: American Thrills – Parted Ways
Hey Marcus, aren’t you excited to finally review a real nü metal band? Cant wait! #staynüstaytrü ::insert Creed gif here:: Very excited for the new record by this Limp Bizkit cover band. I haven’t seen one of those since nü made a comeback in Lelystad in the early ’10s Real ones know that nü never…
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Drinkscussing: Shrug Dealer – Infested
Skate punk time with our friends in Shrug Dealer is the best time. Even when said friends aren’t here and it’s just their record that’s here. And us at music…di…shrugs here We give shrugs, they deal shrugs. They’re the professionals I’ve always had a weak spot for skate punk, and it’s not a sound we…
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Drinkscussing: Knelt Before – Be Nice
I’m excited to finally get around to this record. We promised to give it a spin two weeks ago, but life did life things. Yeah same here. Appreciate em seeking us out to do a review. And us getting to a review two weeks from being shouted out for one is progress. We’re getting better…
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Drinkscussing: Goddamnit – All This Time Is Yours Now
When is the last time we saw Goddamnit? Hmmm. Fest. I wanna say 2018. Wasn’t there a Cobra Club show with Neckscars in 2019? Or was that 2018? The years feel like a blur! Perhaps we split between them and another show a week or two later? That was it! Lone Wolf and Mikey Erg…
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Drinkscussing: Celebration Summer – Patience in Presence
You keep talking about this band, you even ordered merch, and when I mentioned that they still haven’t played New York yesterday, you pointed out they will be here in a month But you haven’t bothered me yet about a review, and they did release a record this year, so it’s time we get this…
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Drinkscussing: Kid You Not – Here’s To Feeling Good All The Time
So, really excited we’re getting to review the new Kid You Not record. Saw them on the last day of Fest back in 2019 and they were one of the best sets I saw that day. Got a pic from their set on the personal IG (forcequitdotexe) Of course you do! I cannot remember if…
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Drinkscussing: A Vulture Wake – Kingdom
We get to be lucky enough to see A Vulture Wake twice this year. So catching up, they released a new EP this June three times if we count fest I’m not counting Fest until we booked our flights. But I am counting Monday the 19th! ~ Virus ~ So let’s get to know these…
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Drinkscussing: Guilty Party – Imposter Syndrome
Shall we start by apologizing for not checking our mail in a while? We’ve falling behind on reviews! It’s tough at times to find some time together to sit down for these. Sure. Life’s gonna life. Relatable to most everyone hah So here we go. We are sorry for being flakey assholes, but we know…
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Drinkscussing: Something Bitter – It Doesn’t Have to Be Now
Something Bitter is officially released their EP! And I’ve got a lot of opinions about that band, all of them good. We’ve already seen the lads more times than I can count so I’m excited to hear these tunes on wax…erm…plastic…erm, mp3? I’ll find a better place for your old tape deck. (Okay fine, cd…
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Drinkscussing: Emblems – Everything is Strange
You know what happens on Fridays? Friyays you mean? You know what happens on Friyays? It’s before the one really fun day ending in Y…but also the day where new music usually drops these days The latter is the answer! New music drops and maybe 6 months later we remember to review it. So… let’s…
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Drinkscussing: Moonraker – The Forest
Let’s grab a drink and listen to music. Cheaper than shows, just as much fun! Time to (finally) get around to the last record by Moonraker, titled The Forest. ~ Incendium ~ Ah, this kind of opener. One of those sound clip sample openers. I don’t recognize the clip. It sounds very American. Kind of…
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Drinkscussing: Irish Handcuffs – Transitions
What do you do on a train without Wi-Fi in a country where your data bundle is too expensive? When you’re Music Dies Here, you just find another app that works over Bluetooth. Opposite of our usual sides, Maaike on the right, Marcus on the left. Unedited in all its glory, reviewed during a train…
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Drinkscussing: No Trigger – Acid Lord EP
I’m really excited about the No Trigger, Heart & Lung and Neckscars show this Friday, but No Trigger is a band I barely listened to. It’s the other bands that I want to see. Guess we should fix this, there’s not that much time. And hey, what better way than to listen to their new…
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Drinkscussing: Talk Show Host & Cluttered – Enemy Us
Let’s get to work! With work I mean listening to music Ha! Our loss generator…erm, labor of love project is back at it again! So it’s what, bands covering another band, but also using each other’s singers. Sounds like that could be fun! So let’s get to this Talk Show Host / Cluttered EP covering…
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Drinkscussing: Captain Asshole – Successfully Not Giving Up
Remember when you were all excited about this band named Captain Asshole, and for once I was the one who had no clue who they were? Maybe we should move to Germany so we can avoid fantasy baseball? Haha that like never happens so I especially remember it well. Drove the Spotify algorithm for this…
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Drinkscussing: Love Forty Down – Don’t Be a Stranger
This week has been chaos. We still haven’t reviewed Love Forty Down and with review I mean do what we do and drink and talk And their new so-called EP is basically a full ass record. So much chaos I’m in my resting pacing position haha So get a drink and get your ass on…
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Drinkscussing: Drug Church – Hygiene
REVIEWING THE NEW DRUG CHURCH YASSSSSSSSS (sponsored by, but not really…white claw surge) Okay Marcus. You haven’t shut up about this band (and side projects) since we met, dragged me to a Self Defense Family show once, and I have nightmares about the Worst Possible Timeline with how often I hear that pod. So Fine…
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Drinkscussing: Russian Girlfriends – Russian Girlfriends
Hey. Let’s make good on our promise to review that Russian Girlfriends record. I see you want to be in charge of the music tonight? Changing it up haha Also, this review has been like a month coming Over a month! I know you loved that band and have been curious about how they’re keeping…
