Speedy Wunderground Vinyl & CDs

Review: Heartworms are brand new outfit releasing under Speedy Wunderground - one of the few contemporary imprints giving fresh faces a fighting chance. Their debut EP 'A Comforting Notion' embeds the dystopian vision of one Jojo Orme into our minds - the frontwoman is a grandiose performer, giving tired tropes of delicate female bandleaders a run for its money through means like gritty post-punk and dark synth instrumentation, and a macabre sense of humour. The band's name references a heart-defecting parasite that is commonly found in dogs and is spread through mosquito bites - but don't worry, this EP will make your heart feel nothing but joy (permitting, at least, that you're a fan of bleak music!)

Review: Borrowing a title from a 50ft sport climbing route in Oliana, Spain, there's definitely something big and wonderfully overbearing about the debut offering from Hot Face. Freshly pressed onto London's revered and always-forward thinking Speedy Wunderground imprint, the work here more than lives up to the label's name, going at listeners with pedal to the metal for the most. Comprising two tracks, an original and 'dub', the opener nods to the likes of King Gizzard and other sprawling, epic prog-metal-psyche outfits, offering up huge guitar solos and switching tempos with cunning, guile and groove. Flip it to find the alternative take, which ups the impact of drums, taking us closer to dance music as it's more widely recognised, and the heyday of big beat, if anyone remembers that one?

Review: ***B-STOCK: Sleeve damaged but otherwise in excellent condition***


The Lounge Society has been hotly tipped for a while, with plenty of Ones To Watch declarations coming their way at the start of 2021. They have served up super quick selling 7"s like 'Generation Game' which touched on the unrest in American society and then their follow up headed into edgy punk-funk territory, sneering at culture wars and decrying the impact of a class divided society. Now comes 'Cain's Heresym' which takes aim at the negligent political class as well as highlighting the danger inherent in the spread of misinformation and their disdain for celebrity-worshipping. The young English band are heirs apparat to the throne of protest music.

Review: It's hard not to adore the Speedy Wunderground concept. Faff-free since 2013, all the label's recordings, produced by founder Dan Carey, are finished in a single day, with mix down completed by the following night. The result is vital, off-the-cuff guitar music the likes of which is hard to find anywhere else. As this fourth anniversary compilation proves. Opening on scottibrains' aptly-titled "Sustained Threat", a rocket-propelled slice of post punk, it's hard to imagine things getting much better. Subjectivity dictates whether they do or not, but objectively speaking they don't get any worse. black midi's "bmbmbm", a twisted, growing stomper that has more than one foot in Krautrock, Treeboy & Arc's garage rock and synth powerhouse "Concept", and "Heart Attack"'s complex, groove-driven good times vibe, courtesy of All We Are & Alex Kapranos, are just a few examples.