Leatherface – Peel Sessions LP (Little Rocket Records)

If you’ve spent any time at all browsing Thoughts Words Action, you know that my respect for the Sunderland scene begins and ends with one name: Leatherface. There are bands that play punk rock, and then there are bands that are punk rock, with that sound like they were forged in a shipyard and tempered in a pub at 2 AM. When we talk about the history of the UK melodic punk rock underground, these guys are a foundational pillar. So, when the opportunity arises to talk about the Peel Sessions LP, we are talking about a time capsule. We are talking about the collision of one of the greatest melodic punk bands to ever walk the earth and the undisputed gatekeeper of musical counter-culture, the legendary John Peel. This LP captures three distinct sessions recorded at the BBC Maida Vale Studios during the 90s, and let me tell you, it is a haunting, beautiful, and ferocious document of a band at the absolute peak of their powers. There is something mystical about the BBC Maida Vale studios. For those who aren’t familiar with the history, being invited by John Peel to record a session wasn’t just an ordinary gig. It meant your music had something, a spark, that bypassed the mainstream filters. For a band from Sunderland, entering those hallowed halls must have felt like a surreal pivot from the local clubs to the heart of the musical establishment, yet the beauty of Leatherface is that they never sounded like they were trying to fit in.

The sound captured on these sessions is something that simply cannot be replicated in a modern home studio. It has that chiselled in stone quality. It’s raw, live, and carries that specific BBC air, a combination of world-class equipment and a get-it-done haste that forced bands to play with a level of intensity they might not find in a pampered, months-long recording session. On this LP, you can practically hear the ghosts of the studio walls vibrating along with the amplifiers. Leatherface has always been defined by a very specific duality. On one hand, you have the sheer abrasiveness. The guitars on this LP carry that texture. They are thick, distorted, and heavy, carrying the weight of the industrial North. But then, there’s the melody. This isn’t the sweet pop-punk melody, but a weathered and triumphant melodic sensibility that feels well deserved. Throughout these three sessions, you can hear the band’s evolution, yet the core remains untouched. The guitar work is legendary for a reason. It’s complex, incorporating intricate leads around driving power chords, creating a loud and sophisticated wall of sound. These sessions highlight those guitar works perfectly. The live-to-tape nature of the Peel recordings means there is nowhere to hide. Every note of those cascading riffs is laid bare, and the band sounds tighter than a clenched fist.

The rhythm section provides the essential heartbeat. The bass is warm and prominent, providing a melodic counterpoint to the guitars rather than just following them, while the drumming is a relentless engine. It’s propulsive, dragging the listener through the heady days of radio at breakneck speed. If you are a fan of melodic punk rock, you know that the Leatherface vocal style is the gold standard. It is soulful, gravelly, and drenched in a poetic working-class melancholy. Hearing these performances in the context of a Peel Session adds a layer of closeness. There is a sincere, sandpaper-rough quality, rarely heard on the punk rock scene nowadays. On these recordings, the emotional weight of the lyricism shines through. Leatherface were always a poetic band, but never in a pretentious way. Their stories are about life, loss, and the struggle to remain human in a world that wants to grind you down. In the vacuum of the Maida Vale studios, away from the distractions of a standard studio production, that sincerity is amplified to the max. You can hear the strain, the passion, and the genuine belief in every word. It’s a soulful performance that reminds you why this band has influenced so many renowned bands that still play today. The Peel Sessions LP is an epic sonic voyage through the early career of a band that refused to compromise. By spanning different sessions across the ’90s, the record allows us to hear their growth, yet the Leatherface sound is so distinct that it remains a cohesive experience from scratch to finish.

John Peel had a gift for picking artists and bands who were timeless, and listening to this LP decades later, it’s clear he was right about these Sunderland legends. This music doesn’t sound dated. It doesn’t belong to a specific trend of the 90s. It sounds like it could have been recorded yesterday or forty years ago. It is musical stone, as I like to say. For those who grew up huddled around a radio, waiting for the crackle of a Peel Session to debut a new favourite band, this LP will have such a big value, while the younger fans will find an essential listen that explains why Leatherface were such a legendary melodic punk rock band. It shows how you can be melodic without being soft, and how you can be aggressive without being mindless. If you call yourself a punk rock fan and you don’t own a Leatherface record, you have a hole in your soul that needs filling, and if you want to hear them at their most unfiltered, the Peel Sessions LP is the way to do it. It captures their tremendous energy, the incredible musicianship, and the soulful grit of a band that John Peel himself recognized as something truly special. This is a mandatory purchase for the collectors, dreamers, and punk rockers in basement bands who want to know how it’s actually done. Leatherface in the 90s was a force of nature, and thanks to Mr Peel and the BBC, that storm has been preserved for all of us to experience. Sunderland’s finest have never sounded more vital. This is melodic punk rock in its purest, most honest form. Don’t let this one pass you by. Head to Little Rocket Records for more information about ordering this gem.

#LEATHERFACE #LITTLEROCKETRECORDS #melodicPunkRock #MUSIC #PUNKROCK #REVIEWS

Roach Squad – Roach Squad LP (Little Rocket Records)

If you’ve spent any significant amount of time digging through the crates or scouring the digital archives of Thoughts Words Action, you know that there is a very specific subgenre of melodic punk rock that hits you squarely in the chest. It’s that grit-under-the-fingernails, gravel-in-the-throat sound that flourished in the nineties and early 2000s, often dubbed “orgcore” by the internet pundits, but known to the rest of us as just damn good songwriting. Today, I’m diving into the self-titled LP from Roach Squad, an international collective of a long-lost brotherhood finally finding its way home. When you see the DNA involved here, veterans from legendary outfits like Leatherface, The Sainte Catherines, and The Murderburgers, you already know the bar is set incredibly high. But let’s be clear, this isn’t a supergroup vanity project, but a classic sound wrapped in modern production without losing original fire. The production captures the rawness of a basement show in Sunderland or Montreal, but also a clarity that modern technology allows. This record carries those abrasive, sandpaper-textured properties of nineties melodic punk, but it’s polished just enough to let the intricacies of the performances shine through.

The guitar work on this record is, frankly, spectacular. We’re talking about a duality hard to find in modern bands. On one hand, you have these heavy, crushing chord progressions that provide a thick wall of sound, the stuff that makes you want to lean into the monitor at a show. On the other hand, there’s an incredible sense of melody. The themes, melodies, and harmonies are catchy, weaving in and out of the aggression. It reminds me of the best moments of the UK melodic scene mixed with that frantic, North American energy. And speaking of storytelling, the lyricism here is top-tier. This isn’t your standard pizza and skateboards punk rock. There is a poetic, sincere, and deeply emotional core to these songs. It feels like reading a well-worn diary of someone who has seen the world, suffered the bruises, and lived to write about it. It’s storytelling in its purest form, set to a tempo that refuses to let you sit still. You can’t talk about this album without mentioning the vocal performance. It is, in a word, soulful. There is a gravelly, passionate delivery here that instantly brings to mind the greats of the genre. It’s the voice that sounds like it’s been cured in cigarette smoke and late-night tour van conversations, yet it remains incredibly vulnerable. You can hear the sincerity in every rasp and every elongated note. It’s a performance that doesn’t hide behind effects, it stands front and center, demanding that you listen to the weight of the words.

The basslines are a particular highlight for me. They have this warm, analog growl that adds a massive amount of depth to the compositions. Instead of just following the guitars, the bass provides a groovy, melodic counterpoint that makes the songs feel full. It’s that classic orgcore warmth, thick enough to feel in your ears but agile enough to keep the pace. The drumming is equally impressive. It’s propulsive and powerful, acting as the engine that pushes these songs into new heights. There’s a technicality there that stays hidden behind the sheer force of the performance, it’s busy when it needs to be, but always serves the song first. When the band hits those high-energy peaks, the percussion makes the hair on your arms stand up. Roach Squad captures some of my favorite melodic punk rock elements: aggression, melody, and heart. It’s an album that will immediately resonate with fans of the gruff-voiced, emotional punk rock that came out of the Little Rocket Records, No Idea Records, or Jade Tree eras, but it doesn’t feel like a nostalgia trip. It feels more like a band taking the lessons learned from decades on the road and distilling them into twelve or so tracks of pure, undiluted punk rock gold.

Whether you call it melodic punk, emo-adjacent, or orgcore, the labels don’t really matter when the songs are this strong. This is music for the long drives, the late nights, and the moments when you need punk rock music that can still be sophisticated and poetic without losing its edge. It’s rare to find a record that feels this cohesive, especially with an international lineup, but the chemistry here is undeniable. It’s a must-listen for anyone who misses the days when melodic punk had some dirt on its face and something heavy on its mind. Roach Squad LP is a raw, melodic, and deeply moving record. If you’ve ever found yourself shouting along to a chorus in a crowded room with a beer in your hand and a lump in your throat, this is the record you’ve been waiting for. Don’t sleep on this one, it’s easily one of the most vital melodic punk releases of 2025. Roach Squad has the soul of the global underground. Grab a copy, crank the volume, and let these songs do what they were meant to do: break your heart and put it back together again. Head to Little Rocket Records for more information about ordering.

#EMO #LITTLEROCKETRECORDS #melodicPunkRock #MUSIC #ORGCORE #PUNKROCK #REVIEWS #ROACHSQUAD

4th Fingers Return With New Single “Better Days”

4th Fingers return with a brand new single called “Better Days.” You can check it out below.

https://open.spotify.com/track/5eJTqP1wMu0PUw2K8oNi8I?si=b08706c19a3949c7

#4THFINGERS #melodicPunkRock #MUSIC #NEWS #PUNKROCK

Italian Emo Core Band JAGUERO Share New Single “LIT,” Paving The Way For Their First Full-Length Album

Jaguero return with “Lit,” a new single that marks the beginning of a fresh chapter for the punk/emo band from Vicenza and fuels anticipation for their debut full-length — a highly awaited release following two widely acclaimed EPs

Born during the early post–“New Love” sessions (their second EP, released in 2023), the track has accompanied the band through a significant stretch of their creative path. It went through numerous versions, reshaping itself multiple times before reaching its final form just weeks before entering the studio. An unusual process for Jaguero — who often define their songs quickly — but one that allowed them to dig deeper into the emotional layers of the piece.

The band themselves describe the heart of the new single:

“‘Lit’ is a dedication to that person who manages to see us even when we struggle to see ourselves, to the one who sparks that flame that gets us moving again even in our heaviest moments. It’s an anthem to the strength that comes from genuine human connections — the kind that can turn a fragile instant into a new beginning.”

https://open.spotify.com/track/5JKHF1PKwuyBW6SdZSGWNJ?si=59aa9763a2404dbe

#EMO #EMOCORE #JAGUERO #melodicPunkRock #MUSIC #NEWS #PUNKROCK

Dial Drive – Dial Drive LP (SBÄM)

Florida has always been a heavy hitter in the punk rock game, but sometimes you need a band to come along and remind you exactly why. Dial Drive has done that with their latest self-titled LP. If you’ve been looking for an album that sounds like the best days of the Warped Tour but decorated with fresh, unique, innovative, exciting moves, this LP will be right up your alley. Self-titling an album is a wise move. It’s basically saying, “This is us. This is the definitive version of our sound.” And honestly, Dial Drive earned it. They’ve stripped away all the nonsense and delivered a lean, mean melodic machine. It’s energetic, incredibly catchy, and it carries that specific kind of sunshine-soaked aggression that makes you want to drive fast with the windows down. It’s escapism, but it’s anchored by some seriously impressive musicianship. The vocals are the first thing that pulls you in, and man, do they steer the ship. In a genre that lives or dies by the quality of the melody, the lead vocal performance here is absolutely killer. It guides you through the whole sonic journey with its infectious confidence. The singer nails that sweet spot between punk rock power and pop sensibility. There’s enough rawness in the voice to let you know they mean it, but the melody is always king. The verses build this great tension, and then the choruses just release it all in a flood of hooks that you’ll be humming for days.

The way they use harmonies and layers makes this material even more appealing to the ears. They deploy these additional vocal layers exactly when they need to, turning the choruses into massive, anthemic moments. We’re not talking about subtle background noise here, but about thick, robust harmonies that make everything feel huge. It gives the record that communal, gang vocal vibe that is the heartbeat of all great pop punk music. You can practically hear a sweaty club crowd shouting these lines back at the band, even when you’re just listening on headphones. Of course, a great vocalist needs a solid wall of sound to stand on, and the guitars on this LP deliver the goods. They shape the perfect backdrop for the vocals to shine. The guitar work covers all the bases. On one hand, it’s heavy and aggressive, the rhythm guitar chugs with this satisfying crunch that hits you right in the chest, providing that driving power that keeps the punk side of things front and center. But Dial Drive knows that heavy riffs aren’t enough if you don’t have the tunes to back them up. The guitarists have packed this thing with stacks of leads, themes, and melodies. The riffs are catchy as hell, often acting like secondary hooks that rival the vocals. There are these cool moments of intricate lead work and clever chord progressions that show these guys really know how to write a song. The interplay between the rhythm and lead guitars creates this rich, textured sound that’s way more interesting than your standard three-chord bash. They thread these intricate melodic lines right through the aggression, so there’s always something cool happening in the mix.

The bass guitar holds everything together, and it’s doing way more than just following the root notes. The  bass always gets buried, but here it’s vividly hearable in the mix. It contributes all this warmth, depth, and groove that the tracks desperately need. The bassist acts as the glue between the high-flying guitars and the frantic drums. There’s a warmth to the tone that rounds everything out, giving the album a fullness and physical weight that feels so great. Plus, the bass adds these nice little details, runs and fills that pop out when you aren’t expecting them, layers of groove that keep your head nodding even when the tempo is flying. Finally, we have to give it up for the drums. The drumming performance is energetic, dynamic, and groovy, providing the relentless motion that drives the whole record. The drummer packs every song with marvelous accentuations that lock in perfectly with the guitar riffs and vocal hits. All these expertly executed beats, fills, and sharp breaks keep you constantly on your toes. The rhythmic choices are smart, too, switching from rapid punk beats to half-time grooves that let the melody breathe. The drumming dictates the energy, pushing the tempo to breakneck speeds one minute and letting the groove take over the next.

Dial Drive’s self-titled LP exemplifies how modern melodic punk should sound. The band combined the raw punk rock energy with the catchy pop punk sensibilities, and they played the hell out of it. The production is crisp and punchy, making every instrument shine in the limelight. This is a must-have album for anyone who calls themselves a melodic punk rock fan. If you like bands that can write a giant hook as well as they can start a circle pit, Dial Drive has delivered your new favorite record. It’s catchy, heavy, and fun. Florida does it again. Head to SBAM for more information about ordering.

#DIALDRIVE #melodicPunkRock #MUSIC #POPPUNK #PUNKROCK #REVIEWS #SBAM

Calling All Captains Drop New Video For “Blood For Blood”

Canadian punk-rock mainstays Calling All Captains have unveiled a raw official music video for their latest single, “Blood For Blood.” Documenting the unfiltered chaos of their sold-out hometown show at Edmonton’s Union Hall, the video bypasses polished production in favor of pure, high-octane energy. Filmed during the legendary Ten Second Epic reunion, the visuals capture a crowd fully locked into the band’s visceral sound. It’s a testament to the band’s “no-scripts” philosophy, proving that Calling All Captains remains one of the most authentic and hard-hitting forces in the modern melodic punk scene.

https://youtu.be/50z9pBkJCn0?si=24YKf84DSES6Ihks

#CALLINGALLCAPTAINS #melodicPunkRock #MUSIC #NEWS #PUNKROCK

San Pedro Punk Rockers Toys That Kill Unleash Two New Tracks From Upcoming Album “Triple Threat”

San Pedro’s Toys That Kill have released two songs from their highly anticipated upcoming album, Triple Threat, due out February 20th via Recess Records. Born from the ashes of the influential F.Y.P, the band—led by Todd Congelliere—delivers gigantic songs with heart-stopping choruses that blend the spirit of Thin Lizzy and The Buzzcocks. Known for their “TTK thump,” Toys That Kill strips away pretension, translating influences from The Ramones to The Replacements into timeless, melodic punk rock and roll.

#melodicPunkRock #MUSIC #NEWS #POPPUNK #PUNKROCK #TOYSTHATKILL

Late ’90s Nostalgia: Wasting Time Drops Anthemic New Melodic Punk Single “Ripped Blue Jeans”

Toronto’s melodic punk lifers Wasting Time are back with their new single, “Ripped Blue Jeans,” out December 12th via People of Punk Rock Records. The track is a nostalgic rush of anthemic hooks that captures the heart-on-sleeve energy of the late ’90s punk era, echoing the honesty and grit of bands like Alkaline Trio and No Use for a Name. Serving as the first taste of their upcoming full-length, Are You Out Of Your God Damn Mind?, the single is a reminder of a simpler time, before algorithms, soundtracked by sweat, stale beer, and powerful melodic pop-punk.

https://youtu.be/rwNuq8N8ndg?si=HFBY2vWY2wdpB90m

#melodicPunkRock #MUSIC #NEWS #POPPUNK #PUNKROCK #WASTINGTIME

Melodic Punk Rock Introspection: Navigating Faded Friendships With Sludder’s Latest Release

“Nothing but Strangers” is the haunting new single from Sludder. The track is born from a melancholic realization: the people who once held immense meaning in our lives can slowly drift into becoming unfamiliar shadows. Rather than a dramatic break, Sludder explores how life quietly rearranges itself, leaving an explainable void. The song emphasizes clarity over despair, using melodic punk rock sensibilities to soundtrack the feeling of moving through familiar spaces with entirely different coordinates. It is a poignant exploration of loneliness and fading human connection.

https://open.spotify.com/track/2Qplmt0uHxndVNM0m5xfjq?si=50b104d190774363

#indie #melodicPunkRock #music #news #punkRock #sludder

NOFX Unveils First Installment “A To H” Of A To Z Album Series

Legendary punk band NOFX has released “A to H,” the first installment in their ambitious triple album project titled “A to Z.” The series is packed with rarities, demos, and never-before-heard tracks spanning the band’s storied career. The artwork design for the project was created by the legendary artist SHAG. This expansive release is a must-have for punk rock aficionados, offering an unprecedented look into the depth of one of the genre’s most influential and enduring acts.

https://open.spotify.com/album/5pUkSUz92gUxkgVsI79PmP?si=E2SEYXcfR5K2WJjtqz-K3A

#melodicPunkRock #music #news #nofx #punkRock