SMALLSPEAKER - This Record kills all trend scums LP

The power of raw energy! There’s no other way to describe Smallspeaker’s album. But let’s start from the beginning. Smallspeaker consists of Hiroshi Otsuki, Honma, and Daisuke Matsuoka, who are current or former members of the legendary Japanese punk bands REGISTRATORS, Brightliner, Car Crush, and Keen Monkey Work. They’ve already released six albums and several singles. All done independently, completely DIY, and with an uncompromising dedication that is second to none. From recording to the finished record to sales, everything is done by themselves. Few bands resist commercial interests more than this trio from Tokyo. Consequently, it’s incredibly difficult to own one of their records. And that’s why I feel so grateful for the trust placed in me at Sounds of Subterrania, to be able to represent the band outside of this world for the first time in their 17-year history. But let’s get to the music. The title of their album, “This Record Kills All Trend Scums,” perfectly encapsulates their musical approach. Punk isn’t seen as a mere extension of rock or a supposedly political playground for more or less well-intentioned ideologies, but rather as a nihilistic social corrective. This approach catapults Smallspeaker to the forefathers and thus the beginnings of every relevant youth culture that rebelled and questioned the system in its entirety. And that’s exactly how their music sounds. Raw, snotty, pissed off, it creaks and groans, practically screaming at you: Fuck off if you can’t handle this! Smallspeaker are to today’s punk what the Monks were to the beat of the 60s. They are both a disruptive force and a catalyst. Their temple is the garage, which they immediately demolish again in the spirit of the old “Killed by Death” tradition. If someone were to ask me what’s left of 50 years of punk, I would answer: Smallspeaker, the rest is a museum.