Best of Chicago voting is live now. Vote for your favorites »
Australia is constantly throwing punk bands our way, and for some reason, they’re all really great. The latest outfit from down under hitting the States for a tour is the Melbourne-based (and unfortunately named) Cuntz, an unholy racket of a band that perfectly channels the bummer-punk of mid-80’s SST Records. The band is in town this weekend playing two shows—one at Permanent Records and one at a DIY loft in Logan Square—and they share both bills with some amazing locals. The brand-new LP from Cuntz, Solid Mates (Homeless Records), seems to pick up where Black Flag left off in 1986, so if you’re like me and you’re pretty bummed out over the original Black Flag members’ bickering, lawsuits, and what are essentially lame cover sets, I’d suggest listening to Solid Mates right away. The record combines the atonal, off-kilter, highly aggressive jazz-punk of Black Flag’s last two records with the dirgey noise of modern-day grunge revivalists Pissed Jeans and Metz. The record as a whole (which is available for streaming in its entirety after the jump) is gross, gnarly, and overall, totally refreshing to hear. Now, if they could only do away with the silly band name.
