We may not be able to leave the house, but that doesn’t mean we can’t have a criminally good time in the process. We’ve put together some total moshable tunes to take your quarantine to the next level. If early Sabbath is in almost every one of your playlists, you’ll like each of the tracks here.
Mosh safely. Move your coffee tables first.
Friendship Commanders – “The Enemy I Know”
Nashville, TN rock duo Friendship Commanders understands loud and doomy like the inside of my black heart. Their album, BILL (2018), was made with THEE Steve Albini at his studio, Electrical Audio in Chicago. If that doesn’t tell you enough about their acumen then I don’t know what does.
The thirteen song body of work addresses themes important to the band: abuse survival, addiction, feminism, unity, human rights activism, equality, and friendship. Listen to the track “The Enemy I Know” below.
The Binge – “No Blisters”
Not sure where all of the angst comes from in Sweden (how many lists are calling it the world’s happiest place) but one thing is for sure, they make some LOUD AF music—consistently.
In their track “No Blisters” they sing: aint my herd, I’m not your mr, burn them bridges, got no blisters like-mindeds don’t need your backslap, oh please shoot me cos I’m so fed up.
The music video for the tune is so art punk it hurts. In the best way possible.
Hut Hut – Song Number One
Fucking RATM for the Gen Z crowd is here with Hut Hut. Someone tell me I’m wrong. The Winnepeg, Canada-based band sings with an infectious, fierce energy, wrapped in instruments that are nothing if not organized chaos. It’s like watching Parks and Rec and High Maintenance at the same time with POD playing in the background. But, somehow it also works.
Lemon of Choice – “Self Checkout“
TURN YOUR SPEAKERS UP FOR THIS TRACK. That’s not a suggestion, that’s a downright command.
Full of psych-rock guitars, urgent drums, and CBGB-esque vocals, this Albany, NY-based band is here to rock. They are the band I would sign if Left Bank had a record label. They are the band that I would play for my children every night before they sleep.
“Self Checkout” is the third song off their debut LP Lime of Decision.
Behold A Pale Horse – “FUXIT”
“There’s thieves in this world, hiding up up the sleeves of this world”
The title track of their album, “FUXIT” rants on the political and media turmoil in modern life. Featuring submerged, fuzzed out vocals and a hypnotic guitar, this UK-based band is minutes from saying ‘Fuck Boris’ … we can feel it. And, we love it.
Drens – “A Very Sunny Day”
It’s no secret how much we love Germany’s Drens. The wild surf punk four-piece from Dortmund makes tracks that serve as the perfect complement to your skateboarding (or in this case, home mosh pit). They originally met in late 2017 right after studying sound at university, and through a shared love of lo-fi harmonies and halloumi sandwiches, Drens agreed it would be a lot of fun writing songs and going touring in a second hand van.
Counting down the days (months?) until quarantine is over so we can see Drens live. It’s on the bucket list.
Split Moon – “Feel Free”
You know sometimes you hear a band’s track and without even seeing them play live, you know they KNOW what they’re doing? That’s how it is with Split Moon. With a perfect command of their instruments, and lyrics that hit you viscerally, Split Moon is the band that will get us through hard times.
Singer/guitarist Mark Starr paid his dues on the hardcore scene as the frontman for Salt Lake City straight-edge pioneers Insight before doing time with Estrus Records garage punks The Gimmicks. Taking all of those influences and past experiences, Starr has turned Split Moon into a hazy blend of noise-pop and drone rock, perfect for a low key mosh and chill session.
Yukla Down – “Two Seven Heavy“
Yukla Down is a Tokyo-based shoegaze band with almost no Japanese members, ironically enough. Made up of Bun (vocals/guitar/tambourine clown), Kenny (guitar/interstellar noise), Ouji (guitar/box-to-box midfielder), Victor (bass/Russian poetry), and Sam (drums/jingle bells), the band has made an infectious tune with their “Two Seven Heavy.” Listen to it below.
Andronoids – “She”
Remember what I said about Sweden? Here we are again with this amazing garage rock tune from Sweden’s Andronoids. A mixed bag of jangly pop tunes drenched in distortion and reverb, the band gives us tunes that sound like Guided by Voices and Knight School, but with a heavy dose of Swedish 90s indie music.
“She” is the first single of Andronoids upcoming album set to be released later this spring. It’s a little bit tamer than our other mosh pit tunes but you can still get a little living room wild with your air guitar.