Hello again punks! Summer is definitely over but punk marches on into the Autumn and we’ve had quite the deluge of awesome new releases to wade through as we emerge from our sunkissed Summer revelries. Fall into fall with these bangers on your playlists…
Bratakus- ‘Tokened‘
Our favourite badass Scottish sisters are back with their new single which is all about how many female musicians are still made to feel like ‘the token girl band’. It’s full of attitude and defiance in both sound and lyrics with the opening line “from the outside it looks like action/but it’s all just a distraction” revealing the band’s views on lacklustre, tokenistic attempts to tackle lack of women in alternative music. “It’s based on many experiences we’ve had as women playing music being thrown on first at gigs so that the cis male line up appears more equal” states band member Brèagha. “Also, festivals that put all the bands with women on the Thursday, before the actual festival starts, and bill it as a day to ‘empower’ us.” The accompanying video is an absolute joy- filmed with some of the participants of 2024’s Girls Rock Glasgow, an organisation dedicated to empowering girls and gender-expansive young people through music, creativity, confidence-building, and community. It’s a full circle moment for Bratakus- they played their first ever gig at a Girls Rock Glasgow fundraiser in 2015 and have been teachers for the project ever since. The band’s first album is due out in 2026 so stay tuned for more updates on when we can expect this release. In the meantime, stream ‘Tokened‘ HERE.
The Boy Detective- ‘Good Year‘
Detroit ska punk band The Boy Detective’s new track may provide an antidote to the gut-wrenching abyss that comes with pondering the current state of the world. In ‘Good Year‘ the band take a different approach and consider focusing on something you do have control over- yourself. Whilst the world seems to be on a one-way track to ruin, there’s no need to give up on improving your own immediate situation and who knows? Maybe if we all do that, things will start to look up. Vocalist Benny Capaul says of the track: “Just when you thought that the person in the mirror can’t change for the best, The Boy Detective gives you a template for how to turn things around and have a…pretty good year. With all the garbage the world has to offer, we must find hope in the future by changing what we can, ourselves.” As you would expect from a ska band with a positive message, the track is packed full of pace, horns and an incredibly infectious chorus. Taken from their forthcoming album ‘Disco Lunch‘ (out 7th November) ‘Good Year‘ is available to stream HERE and the album available to pre order or save HERE.
Liquid Mike- ‘99‘
Punk Rock Philosophy are already big fans of the Marquette punk band Liquid Mike (we featured their track ‘Claws‘ in our July picks of the week) and so their sixth album release is highly anticipated in PRP towers. New single ‘99‘ is the next track to be taken from the LP ‘Hell Is An Airport‘ and it is another great example of the earnest, effortless sound of the band that draw from inspirations like Guided by Voices and The Replacements. Fresh off supporting punk legends Descendents during their Summer tour, frontman Mike Maple and co are now focused on touring the album as they support Militarie Gun across the US in November. Stream/buy ‘Hell Is An Airport‘ HERE.
Snake Eyes- ‘No Cars’
Something topical now with Brighton gritpop duo Snake Eyes who take an incisive swipe at big oil and its destructive, profiteering practices with new track ‘No Cars‘. The band- comprised of Jim Heffy and Thomas Coe-Brooker- said of the track: “‘No Cars’ is a song about oil companies prioritising profits over the environment and not being held accountable. It’s about those with true power choosing their wallets over our future. The measures put in place to alleviate emissions, like ulez, are nothing but a tax on poor people and really achieve nothing. Systemic change is due, and the time is now.” And the band have recently announced a release date for their long-awaited debut album ‘Cash Rich’ which will be out in January 2026 via Alcopop! records (UK) and Grand Hotel van Cleef (Germany). Stream the band HERE.
Endorphins- ‘Slang‘
At Punk Rock Philosophy we were quite gutted when one of our faves- Decent Criminal- called it a day earlier this year. But our despair has been shrunk somewhat with the news that former band members Jesse and Tristan have started on a new project called Endorphins- and their first single ‘Slang‘ is out now! It’s not a carbon copy of their former group by any means, but there’s definitely something reminiscent of the strengths of Decent Criminal and the ability to craft some truly melodically complex anthems. ‘Slang‘ is a strong start right out of the gate with much more of a ‘distorted pop’ sound that goes down a slightly grungier route than previous endeavours by the duo’s former band. We’re looking forward to see what they cook up next!
Breakup Haircut- ‘The Algorithm is Trying to Kill Me‘
If you are not familiar with the witty catchy, modern life vignettes that are Breakup Haircut tracks then your homework is to go and seek out the band’s 2022 album ‘Punk Dancing for Self Defence’. As well as perfecting catchy guitars, boppin’ basslines and bittersweet lyrics that seem to hit the bullseye of modern life’s travails, the band are also the best in the biz at coming up with song titles. And their new single ‘The Algorithm is Trying to Kill Me‘ encapsulates all of the aforementioned virtues and proves the band are still surviving the madness of modern life with a sigh, a shrug and a smile.
That’s it folks! Hope that’s enough to ease you gently into the darker nights- see you next time!
And remember, if you want to submit some music to us then send to hello@punkrockphilosophy.com ! We’d love to hear from you.