PEST CONTROL - 'DON'T TEST THE PEST'

Formats

• QCHQ082 - LP

  5060446127759

Details

*BLUE VINYL REPRESS* Started during lockdown by three friends from Leeds, UK who wanted to make some crossover thrash, having been fans of the music for years, Pest Control is the classic story of DIY music straight from a time of crisis. Jack (from Death Metal bruisers Mortuary Spawn) joined soon after the release of the Demo in 2020 and the line up was complete with Pest Control’s first show commencing in their home town the week lockdown ended. Influenced by classic thrash giants such as Metallica, Testament etc. but with a healthy spoonful of crossover like Crumbsuckers, Ludichrist and Municipal Waste, the members grew up with one foot in the Leeds metal and hardcore scenes, taking the best from both worlds. Topping it all off, Leah's powerful vocal reminds one of the great Dawn Crosby from Detente. For the recording of the LP they were joined by Luke on second guitar and now have a permanent second guitarist in the shape of Joe Williams (Big Cheese, Fate) and will be seen touring Europe with the almighty Foreseen, having already played across the UK with Municipal Waste, Eternal Champion and as well as appearances at Outbreak and Wrongside Fests. With this LP the band have truly shown their technical chops from the fast and furious title track to the almost operatic thrash style of The Great Deceiver. There is a fresh range of ideas and most importantly catchy songs for the Crossover Thrash fan to sink their teeth into. Mastered by Arthur Rizk, who knows a thing or two about thrash metal excellence having worked with Power Trip and Fugitive, expect to have your brain well and truly FUMIGATED.

Tracks

1. Extermination
2. Masquerade Party
3. Buggin Out
4. Iron Cage
5. Don?t Test The Pest
6. Struck Down
7. Hibernation
8. Wake in Hell
9. Judgment Time
10. Total Distraction
11. The Great Deceiver

Press

Debut LP by Leeds Thrash Crossover fumigation crew, Pest Control take you on a journey across the spectrum of what makes the genre great from the fast and furious to the operatic all wrapped up in catchy tunes and raging riffs.

Audio & Video

ANTAGONIZM - 'FREEZE MOTHERFUCKER'

Formats

• QCHQ083 - 12"

  5060446127742

Details

What started as a one off project for a bit of fun on the Fuzzbrain Records Compilation LP in 2019, quickly mutated into a fully fledged band made up of four UK heads with plenty under their collective belts: Ben Woolf (Blind Authority, Lawful Killing, Frame Of Mind, Stages in Faith, Layback), Bobby Cole (The Annihilated, Churchgoers), Jon Osbourne (Mastermind), and Ollie Hudd (Fortbragg Zine). When QC heard this ‘demo’ it was so in your face we just knew we had to put it on wax, because this blend of Krackdown and Outburst era NYHC with a still distinct London hardcore sound will blow your fuckin’ face off! Live expect some crazy energy and antics that’s hard as nails. Who else is gonna do a hardcore version of the James Bond theme? Stay warned, friends.

Tracks

Penance (Antago Theme)
Complacency
Progression
Resettin? The Levelz
Cessation
Euthanised

Press

Think New Breed Hardcore Compilation, Outburst etc. made by UKHC heads not afraid to take it to its wildest extreme.

Audio & Video

FAIRYTALE - 'SHOOTING STAR'

Formats

• QCHQ084 - LP

  5060446127735

Details

Starting in 2019, Fairytale have carved out a unique sound that is both ethereal and chaotic, beautiful and terrifying. This New York City band are back with their debut LP, Shooting Star. Wretched soaked guitars and a rhythm section that sounds like a horde of demons are blended together with dynamic vocals that meander between gruff and choral, at times reminding one of Tozibabe. We dare you not to have the disc on a loop as each listen reveals more and more layers. 

Tracks

Submerged in Water
Shooting Star
Bluer Skies
Life Plateau
Fairytale
Possible to Grow
Brick Flowers
Wrap it Up and Buy it
Sediment
Never?s Enough

Press

Audio & Video

BYBO - 'THE BIG ESCAPE'

Formats

• QCHQ085 - 12"

  5060446127728

Details

Blow Your Brains Out formed in 2019 with members of Stand United, Inside, Die Birth, Civil Defense and Soul Vice from Tokyo and Kanagawa. The band are all active members of their local hardcore communities whether it's putting on shows or running a popular radio show called Sick People. Hardcore fans were hyped for the demo with its instant hit mix of Cro-mags and Dynamo style influenced hardcore, and were excited to hear what the band would do next. However, as with all things at this time, they had to put everything on pause. Fast forward to 2023 and the band have recorded their debut 12” ‘The Big Escape’. This sees the band keep true to their demo influences but with greater flair, and will have you humming the tunes in no time at all. It was important for vocalist Kai to sing in Japanese, a language with a unique rhythm and flow that he wanted to match to the riffs, as well as to communicate about topics important to the local, as well as global community, using powerful Japanese words. ‘The Big Escape’ 12” talks about cult religions, political corruption, domestic violence, and companies that force people to work in poor conditions, as well as the suppression of citizens who resist authoritarian forces. I see through their lies and madness and act with the determination I have squeezed out, without succumbing to after-the-fact sophistry or threats. The underlying theme is the understanding that structural issues in society and politics cannot be easily solved, but it’s important to voice dissatisfaction and anger, and resist, and sometimes that’s by running away to survive, but it’s difficult to put this into practice in everyday life. However, there is hope that one day, the big escape will be achieved.

Tracks

No Control
B.Y.B.O.
The Fighter
Reveal Your Rotten Minds
Permanent Error (Interlude)
Blackout
Survive
Voice Of The Voiceless
Hate And War

Press

Absolute banger debut 12? EP from this Tokyo based group who marry catchy hardcore in the vein of Cro-Mags and Dynamo with complex and deeply political Japanese lyrics. One to watch.

Audio & Video

EXISTENCE - 'GO TO HEAVEN'

Formats

• QCHQ086 - LP

  5060446127711

Details

The story of Existence dates back to 2016 when a group of young Stockholm hardcore heads wanted to get into some good old Cro-Mags worship. After some changes in personnel, the current line-up of deranged idiots has been paving the way for a violent future since early 2017. They currently share members with several other bands, including Blood Sermon and Speedway and are all active in the local DIY community in different ways, for example running Alive and Well Fest. With an EP under their belt in 2018, several tours across Europe and beyond, as well as appearances on such stages as Outbreak, the sound began to evolve leading up to the masterpiece that is the debut LP, ‘Go to Heaven’. Clocking in at nearly 40 minutes we don't think anyone can truly be prepared for this insanely epic body of work. From Slayer, to Merauder, to H8000, to Arkangel to Integrity, this is a masterclass in metallic hardcore songwriting by the strong beating heart of Stockholm HC. Songs that take you on a journey from a classic metallic breakdown riff to acoustic guitar sections to sword samples needed a hand that was not afraid of the complexity, leading to Jonah Falco of Fucked Up on mixing duties giving this the depth that it deserved. At times introspective, and at other times classic brute force, the themes of the lyrics are well summed up with the painted artwork by Nora Löwenberg of a face behind shattered glass, exploring the multifaceted nature of humanity and the ever changing place of the self in today’s global world. So if this all sounds like your kind of hardcore, then listening to this LP will truly be… heaven. 

Tracks

Frozen Spirit
Horror Spawns
So Close to Grace
Hell is Empty
Caught in the Deep End
Realm of Hate
Terror
Self-Alienated
Darkness Leaking In
Interlude (Go to Heaven)
Materialized Fear

Press

From Slayer, to Merauder, to H8000, to Arkangel to Integrity, this is a masterclass in metallic hardcore songwriting by the strong beating heart of Stockholm HC.

Audio & Video

WILSEN - 'I GO MISSING IN MY SLEEP'

Formats

• DR1001CD - CD

  5038622137526

• DR1001LP - LP

  5038622137519

Details

Wilsen are a Brooklyn-based trio comprising Tamsin Wilson (guitar/ vocals), Johnny Simon Jr. (guitar) and Drew Arndt (bass). Tamsin Wilson, the songwriter, guitarist and singer for the band Wilsen, composed many of the songs for full-length debut ‘I Go Missing In My Sleep’ in a tiny Brooklyn apartment in the fleeting pre-dawn moments when New York City is mostly still. These beautifully crafted original pieces capture an almost impossible sense of delicate quietness, and when it came time to record them with the band - Drew Arndt on bass and Johnny Simon on guitar – they unfurled at a nexus of hushed and heartracing, intimate folk paired with muscular yet restrained sonic experimentation.

Tracks

A1 Centipede
A2 Garden
A3 Kitsilano
A4 Heavy Steps
A5 Otto
A6 Light Between The Leaves
B1 Dusk
B2 A Parting
B3 Emperor
B4 Final
B5 Told You

Press

'A major revelation.' NPR Music
'Softly devastating.' Stereogum
"[A] full-length rumination of quiet devastation." CBC

Audio & Video

GIA MARGARET - 'MIA GARGARET'

Formats

• DR1024 - LP (COLOURED)

  5060685310073

Details

*LTD PALE BLUE VINYL W. LITHOGRAPH PRINT* “Mia Gargaret” is an ambient, (mostly) instrumental album by Chicago, IL singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist & producer Gia Margaret. It’s also not the follow-up she intended after the critical success of her 2018 debut, “There’s Always Glimmer”. But after she suddenly found herself without use of her primary instrument, she had to rethink her methods, at least temporarily. Gia explains: “After having to cancel tours because of illness, I was unable to sing for nearly half of the year. This left me feeling like a shell of myself, so I turned to my synthesizer for comfort. These compositions helped me hold onto my identity as a music maker. At times this music helped soothe my anxiety more than therapy or anything else could.” Documenting her self-healing and without singing or lyrics to steal the focus, the instrumental tracks on “Mia Gargaret” shine a light on Gia’s skills as a musician, composer & producer. Spare but immersive arrangements of synthesizer, piano & acoustic guitar simultaneously ache & soothe, building emotional landscapes that rise & recede like scenery through a train window. “Mia Gargaret” is a gorgeous experiment & a memorable meditation on the healing power of music. This version is a limited edition of 200 – pressed on pale blue vinyl with an exclusive lithograph print.

Tracks

A1. Apathy
A2. Body
A3. INWIW
A4. Barely There
A5. For Zoya In China
B1. No Sleep No Dream
B2. Lakes
B3. Sadballad
B4. 3 Movements
B5. Ash
B6. Lesson

Press

'Mia Gargaret' is a gorgeous experiment & a memorable meditation
on the healing power of music. This version is a limited edition of
200 ? pressed on pale blue vinyl with an exclusive lithograph print.

Audio & Video

lilo - 'I DON'T LIKE MY CHANCES ON THE OUTSIDE'

Formats

• DR1060 - LP (COLOURED)

  8904383007651

Details

*LTD RED VINYL* Folk duo lilo's ascent continues with second EP, I Don’t Like My Chances On The Outside. Having met at school aged 11, Christie Gardner and Helen Dixon’s friendship runs over a decade deep. Starting out with homespun recordings and YouTube covers, by the time they moved to London in their late-teens, they had an unshakeable creative bond that forms an incredible bedrock for them to flourish from. Their exceptional debut EP Sleep Country (Practise Music) came out in late-2021. Taking cues from alt-folk and classic country, it showed a maturity and dexterity that belied their years. As Loud & Quiet said of the band in a recent interview, "what sets them apart from their contemporaries is a real understanding of Americana-influenced folk’s lineage as a genre. Think Emmylou Harris’ soul bearing and the pitchperfect vocal glide of Karen Carpenter." New EP, I Don’t Like My Chances On The Outside, is a truly brilliant follow-up that underscores that we're no longing talking about promise with this duo. Working with producer friend Joseph Futák, they're now firmly in their stride, deftly counterbalancing delicate moments and harmony-led pop highs across a full-bodied band sound. Their lyrics speak for their generation too, encapsulating the panic, anxiety and love of twenty-somethings at a time of great uncertainty; from single 'Settled' where the financial realities of needing to move back in with your parents to the sheer relief of ending a relationship on 'I Don't Love You Anymore' and 'Just A Thought's failing attempts to pull a friend away from a bad person ("It's your hill to die on," they warn), nothing is off the plate. 

Tracks

A1. Settled
A2. I Don?t Love You Anymore
B1. Just A Thought
B2. Spit Up
B3. Forever My Friend

Press

"Magic... Wistful and cinematic." i-D
"Gorgeously laid-back country-rock balladry." The Times
"Their pop sensibilities gesture towards a potential for breakthrough
success and mass appeal.? Loud & Quiet

Audio & Video

WILSEN - 'RUINER'

Formats

• DR1009LP - LP

  5060685310066

• DR1009CD - CD

  5060685310059

Details

Wilsen are a Brooklyn-based trio comprising Tamsin Wilson (guitar/ vocals), Johnny Simon Jr. (guitar) and Drew Arndt (bass). Produced by Andrew Sarlo (Big Thief, Bon Iver, Dijon) and mastered by Sarah Register (Ariana Grande, Protomartyr, U.S Girls), Wilsen’s second album dissolves the heavy reverb and ethereal moments of their debut album to instead let the band’s essentials - drums, bass, guitar and vocals - take centre stage. Now moving with purpose towards something and not away from it, this album felt like a coming of age process for the band. Tamsin is now coming to terms with her many sides, including her introversion and her inner self-sabotaging monster to which the album title refers; “Quiet’s not a fault to weed out,” she declares.

Tracks

A1. Ruiner
A2. Align
A3. Down
A4. Wearing
A5. YNTOO
B1. Birds
B2. Wedding
B3. Birds II
B4. Feeling Fancy
B5. Fuse
B6. Moon

Press

'A quietly tumultuous storm of a record.' The Line of Best Fit (Album of
the Week)
?Bold, giddy dream-pop with lyrics that draw blood.? MOJO

Audio & Video

GIA MARGARET - 'THERE'S ALWAYS GLIMMER'

Formats

• DR1004 - CD

  5060685310011

Details

‘There’s Always Glimmer' is a hugely rewarding and deeply affecting slowburner. An accomplished record that seemingly appeared out of nowhere, catching people’s attention with the fragile, intimate beauty of Gia’s compositions carrying her poignant lyrics. With word of mouth growing and multiple pressings of the record having sold out since, it’s great news then that it is finally getting the full release outside of North America that it richly deserves. The fruit of years of endeavour, ‘There’s Always Glimmer’ represents a time in Gia’s life when she had to balance her creative urges with the basic need to pay rent. A Chicago native, she excelled at both piano and guitar growing up, later finding solace in writing songs hidden away in her bedroom. Informed by greats such as Nick Drake, Linda Perhacs, The Roches and Connie Converse, she became increasingly confident that music could become more than a hobby, buoyed by the receptive audience her demos and cover series found online. Still, she decided not to rush, instead biding her time until she felt she had the right body of work to make an album ready for the daylight.

Tracks

A1. Groceries
A2. Birthday
A3. Figures
A4. Smoke
A5. Goodnight
A6: In Normal Ways
B1. Looking
B2. For Flora
B3. Sugar
B4. Exist
B5. Wayne
B6. West

Press

?Even when she sings of aching sadness, she does it with the kind of
hushed, intimate beauty that sounds like a soft glow in the darkness.
There?s always glimmer.? Stereogum

Audio & Video

YARNI - 'ALBERS EP'

Formats

• SNDREC002 - LP

  604565842503

Details

**LIMITED/HAND NUMBERED 200 COPY RELEASE ON HANDPRINTED SLEEVES** A limited edition of 200 records. Each sleeve is hand printed & numbered on recycled Kraft card by esteemed artist John Pedder. There’s also a card insert with an extra print and sleeve notes written by the music journalist Joe Muggs. ’Yarni is all about tactile, real, physical experience and the creations that result. Now, alongside printmaker John Pedder (www.instagram.com/johnapedder), he’s making that more explicit than ever. Yarni and John swapped musical and visual influences, each feeding the other; songs and art developing as a single process. From The Clash to the Bauhaus movement, references merged, and in particular, Anni Albers became a touchstone for both. Every physical copy of this EP is different, the geometry of John’s prints echoing Ben’s music. The loping hip-hop jungle of the title track, the airborne house groove of “Red Meander”, the footworking jitter of “Agitator II”, the cerebral dancing of “Rummy” – all are inspired by John’s artistry. The EP is brought to you via Sound Records, a label focused on artistry, process, and artifacts – things you can feel, hold and treasure. Here’s hoping you’ll hold it too, and feel the joy that has been put into it from the very start.

Tracks

1. Albers
2. Rummy
3. Agitator II
4. Red Meander

Press

Albers - Huey Morgan's (6 Music) Beat of the week

'Rummy' - Deb Grant (6 Music) ?His sound has evolved but it?s been consistently brilliant all the way through?

Audio & Video