Top 10 Punk Records of 2023 with Iggy Punx

Poison Ruïn is already a well known band and it’s no wonder that they released Härvest on Relapse Records. I mean, I was pretty surprised at first, but after thinking about it, it’s not surprising at all. Personally, I prefer smaller labels and I was expecting this release to come out somewhere other than Relapse. Anyway, it’s really great! It got a spot on my list because I listened to it the most this year. It falls under the category of “dungeon synth post-anarcho-punk” or however you want to label it. If you’ve heard their previous releases, you’ll get an idea of what to expect.

All instruments are played smoothly and precisely, with very catchy guitar riffs. I’m not sure if I’m saying something really stupid here, but am I the only one who hears some bluegrass and country attitude in the guitar parts, but played much faster? If not, I didn’t say it. At least I had that feeling when I saw them play live. This combination contributes to what I consider a “perfect” record.

They played here in Hamburg at the beginning of the year in a tiny venue called Komet, with a maximum capacity of about 100 (or even less) people? So as you can imagine, it filled up really fast. Definitely one of the best shows I’ve been to this year.

Spirito di Lupo is a relatively new band from Milan with members of Kobra, Horror Vacui and others. I really love their sound, which is characterized by a very catchy anarcho-punk and peace-punk vibe, with a generous use of chorus or flanger effects on the guitar. Occasionally I mix the two, so please don’t judge me too harshly.

This release came out on Iron Lung Records and La Vida Es Un Mus, which was “obvious” to me, as many great underground punk bands are associated with these labels. Since I met Kobra a few years ago and spent some time with them in Milan, I’ve been following their other projects and, of course, the Sentiero Futuro Autoproduzioni label from their city, where some members of the band are also involved. So Spirito di Lupo was on my radar. Maybe it’s my most listened record of the year, after the previous one.

I had the chance to see them live at the last Fluff Fest this year and it was quite an experience. Imagine a lot of rain, lightning, and a near-hurricane outside just as the band started playing! I hope I remember it right and you’ll know what I mean if you were there.

Life in Vacuum is a post-hardcore band that incorporates elements of math and noise rock, although I admit I’m not very good at labeling—it’s punk to me anyway. The band was founded by two brothers, Ross and Sasha Chornyy, Ukrainian immigrants, which automatically makes this band even more interesting to me. I hadn’t heard anything from them in what felt like many years, and Lost was quite a surprise, but a really good one. I have to say, almost every one of their previous records was on my repeat list when they came out, and this one had the same fate.

This record is very melancholic, but I really love it. Since I’ve lived my whole life with a somewhat melancholic attitude, we’re a pretty good match, I should say. By the way, Lost was released on Born Loser Records. I would really like to see them live and hope it will happen soon.

Is every Institute release a hit? I think so! This one definitely is. You probably know everything about Institute better than I do. These guys from Austin, Texas are making something great. I’ve been following them for not that long, I think since their last release in 2019. From what I’ve read, half of the band moved to New York a few years ago.

On this release you’ll hear a lot of very catchy sounds that move between post-punk and psychedelic rock, with some elements of hardcore punk and anarcho-punk. This wild mix definitely resonated with me a lot.

I had the chance to see them live twice this year, once in Hamburg and once in Barcelona at Greetings from Barcelona Fest vol.1—both shows were really cool, but of course the one in Barcelona was much better.

Fotokiller is a post-punk, new wave band from Berlin and friends of mine, but that’s not why they’re here. Fotokiller features members of bands like Fatigue, Hatehug, Femme Krawall and more. This is one of my favorite records to be released in Germany this year, no question, and there were some really good records. Eerie Nostalgia contains a lot of new tracks and some from their first release Lenses that have been re-recorded. It’s a really wavy, post-punky and also very melancholic record. I love every bit of it and it’s all brought to you by some downright lovely people.

This record came out on Order05Records, which I think is a perfect fit. I’ve seen Fotokiller live a couple of times, unfortunately not in 2023 if I remember correctly. But I hope I will have the chance to see them again and maybe even play a gig together.

Lame is a new band with members from Orden Mundial, Barcelona, Morreadoras and some others. If I’m right, the band members are scattered all over Europe, in Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca and London (I could be wrong, hehe). It caught my attention when I saw Orden Mundial on the list; they’re a band I really like and even had the chance to see them live in Copenhagen a few years ago.

Dejad Que Vengan is maybe the most hardcore record on my list, but I’ve already explained why that is. Raw, lo-fi, mostly mid-tempo but always changing, I really enjoyed listening to it over and over again. This release contains seven songs, but I want more—not that I think seven isn’t enough, it’s pretty perfect. I’m just waiting for their next release.

As I mentioned before, I was already familiar with Orden Mundial and Barcelona, but this release also introduced me to Morreadoras—a really cool band. I have to say that I love almost everything that comes out on La Vida Es Un Mus, and huge respect to Paco for doing this all these years. It’s really amazing work. My goal for 2024 is to see Lame live, of course.

Les Lullies is a well known garage punk and power pop band from Montpellier, France. I’ve heard a lot about them over the years from my French comrades and beyond, but for some reason it never really hit me like this record did. Maybe it’s because it was released right after my trip to France and my memories were still fresh; I don’t really know.

Mauvaise Foi is a pure rock’n’roll record that was released on Slovenly Records. You can hear those rock’n’roll and garage punk roots sprinkled throughout and it doesn’t let you go. The record is packed with solid tunes, but maybe that’s why it made my list. Some obvious hits for me are definitely “Dernier Soir”, “Mauvaise Foi” and “Zéro Ambition”.

Les Lullies used to release their full-format stuff on Slovenly Records, and if you’re into garage punk like me, you probably think it’s one of the perfect labels for it. Unfortunately, I missed seeing them in Hamburg a few months ago—I am still really bummed about that. But I’m hoping that one day I’ll get the chance to see them live.

Alright, here’s another hardcore punk record. I found myself listening to more hardcore punk bands in December, so this record has to be in the mix. Peace Talks is a band from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania—a seemingly great place for hardcore punk bands, or at least that’s what I heard from folks in Philly a few years ago.

Progress is the first full-length release from Peace Talks and the first record I’ve heard from them. I have to say that I stumbled upon their live video at the beginning of the pandemic on this cool YouTube channel of Mind Cure Records. The show was called Beyond Damaged by the way. I almost forgot about Peace Talks until they dropped this furious record. It’s a really wild mix of hardcore punk, power violence with elements of metal and punk rock. “Thunderous drumming, snarling vocals and furious riffing”—that really describes it. Fans of Warthog, Exit Order and some other punk rock classics will love it.

Progress came out on Peterwalkee Records, which is a new record label for me, but not anymore.

I really love Oi! punk music, not the classic kind, but more like a mix of everything with a focus on classic Oi! punk. Béton Armé has it all. They’re from Montreal, Quebec, and it seems like there’s a pretty big scene out there. I debated whether to put them on the list or one of the other fantastic bands from the city like Spleen and Puffer—check them out, by the way. Here’s a fun fact: all three records were released on the same day on RoachLeg Records, and Béton Armé and Spleen share some members.

Second Souffle hits the shelves via RoachLeg Records and Primator Crew—it’s a perfect Oi! record, I have to say. Four flawless songs, everything is spot on, great guitar sound and of course enough gang shouts sung over the recording. Maybe not enough “ois”, but it’s pretty perfect for me. It reminds me a lot of Rixe, but I can’t quite put my finger on it.

When I was thinking about this list, I wasn’t sure if this record would make the cut. But you know that feeling when you’ve seen a band live and it gives you a totally different association with their music? It’s definitely that kind of vibe. Every time I listen to Béton Armé I imagine them playing live. I had the chance to see them here in Hamburg and it was a very cool show. We’ll never know if that’s the reason why Second Souffle made this list. I spent some time deciding between them and the self-titled release from Spleen.

Bad Weed is a power pop, garage punk band from Vienna with a mod subculture attitude. I have a personal connection to the band because I know one of the members (✌️Rudi), but that’s not the reason why it’s landed here.

II, which obviously means it’s the second record of the band, came out on the really nice Siluh Records—a label from Vienna that mostly brings out indie and post-punk bands. Bad Weed is a good match for this label. The band mentions Buzzcocks, Exploding Hearts, and the Nerves as their references, and you can hear it on the record. It’s the perfect record to put on a Sunday morning while drinking some coffee and having breakfast—many times I spent listening to it like this haha.

I still haven’t had a chance to see Bad Weed live, and it’s quite embarrassing because I’ve visited Vienna quite often over the last 5-6 years. Probably that’s how I got to know so many great bands out of this city. This also goes on my to-do list for the next year.