Slap of Reality, Goodbye, Me (Rabbit Rabbit Records/Press, 2026)

By SoDak

I get excited whenever an older band releases a new record that includes the best music they have ever made. This is the case with Slap of Reality, a punk rock band from Florida that formed in 1987. The last few months, I regularly spin their full-length Goodbye, Me, as it brings me much joy, listening to their finely crafted melodic songs, which are reminiscent of bands such as Samiam. The record sounds great, crisp and clean. Every instrument is clear in the mix. The bass and drums serve as a solid anchor. The guitars sound big and have a nice drive to them. The songs are filled with emotional hooks, whereby the vocals and guitars hit the heart. 

I first saw Slap of Reality when they played in Rapid City, South Dakota, at Roman’s Ron De Vu, with Nuisance, Schlong, and Skin Shed, in July 1991. At that time, I had their first two seven inches, Stuck Inside (Vinyl Communications, 1989) and Time Alone (Pazzafist Records, 1990), which were raw recordings of good hardcore songs. The first seven-inch record mixes very fast songs, such as “Stuck Inside,” with mid-paced tunes filled with melodic choruses, such as “Remembrance.” The guitar parts are catchy. There are great moments where the bass is more prominent. The vocals are loaded with reverb. I love the breakdown moments where everything gets a little funky such as on “Thought We Were Friends.” I was eager to hear the songs on these records played live. The show in 1991 was phenomenal. Every traveling band was excellent, playing music from their records as well as new songs. We sang along to all the songs we knew. Given the July heat, the dancing during the show, and the sweat from the crowd, the walls of the venue were covered in moisture. Slap of Reality nailed every song with an energetic performance. They returned the next year for another stellar show. In the 1990s, they released a couple full-length records and a few seven-inch records, which are all solid releases. 

The real treat is that they continued to write songs and perform, culminating in recording Goodbye, Me, which was originally supposed to be released in either 2019 or 2020, but the label that was going to put out the record folded. A few years later, Slap of Reality made the songs available on Bandcamp to share with friends and fans. Fortunately, Rabbit Rabbit Records/Press worked with Slap of Reality to give this record a proper release in 2026. (To pick up a copy go to: https://rabbitrabbitrecordspress.bigcartel.com/.)

Goodbye, Me is a great fucking record. All the songs are catchy and make me sing along. Frank Lacatena’s voice is deeper and filled with more emotional capacity. His excellent singing conveys the tenderness and vulnerability of the lyrics with greater depth. The opening two tracks, “We Said” and “Never Far,” rock. They create an immediate connection. On “We Said,” Frank sings “And we said it meant so much/And we did so little now/And we see it’s over anyway.” On “Never Far,” which has a very strong and awesome Samiam vibe, he sings several times: “I don’t want to be without you now/When I come down.” If I saw this song performed live, I know that I would be jumping up and down, singing along, with tears streaming down my face. I love when a punk rock song moves me in this specific way.

Joe Kiser and David Peralta’s guitars sound extraordinary, whether the guitars are locked in and layered together or when they are adding distinct and interesting textures within songs. The guitars create a drive, while adding a punch here and there. Throughout the whole record, they add to the impassioned feelings. On “A Part Of,” with the alternating fast and slow sections of song, the guitars mix with Frank’s words, “And I don’t want to be a part of/Your club that loves to hate on all I love.” Throughout the record, I really like the sequencing of songs. Following “A Part Of” is a slow song, “Days Are Long,” which creates a nice dynamic, especially with weight and tension of the lines “Days are long now/Years are short.” Then, Slap of Realty kicks it up again, with the start of “Gaslight.” Gregg Moore, on bass, and Rob Sexton, on drums, sound great on every track, establishing a solid foundation for the songs. I love how the bass is a little more forward during the slower moments in songs, and when just the drums and guitar are kicking off a song such as “Gaslight.” The distinct drum parts also intensify the empathic resonance of the music.

In many ways, Goodbye, Me is a perfect record for me. While my musical tastes are all over the map, I love melodic punk bands that rock while carrying an emotional weightiness that is expressed through the music and lyrics. I need music like this, as it helps make sense of daily struggles. Goodbye, Me embodies all of this. On “Cover It Up,” Frank sings, “Can we find another way/To make it through another day.” This is one of the songs I needed after an exhausting day, confronting too many disappointments. As I mentioned, the sequencing on the record is wonderful. The chorus in the following song, “94,” states “And I forgot/To tell you I’m there/And I forgot/To tell you I care.” The song is filled with love, a desire to connect with those who have been lost. In many ways, this song has become only more important considering that Rob Sexton, the drummer, unexpectedly died this summer. The song closes with the words, “You are never gone/You’ll live forever on and on in this song.” This song, this record, this music is further affirmation for how much we need to hold our loved ones close and to maintain our communities to support each other. 

Dolly Parton (1946-2026)

 

By Null

Something about Dolly Parton always seemed unbelievable. I felt that as a child, and I feel it even more so tonight upon the news of her death. How did she play the guitar with those long, painted fingernails?

I can’t remember a world without Dolly. I do remember hearing her on the radio before I ever stepped into a kindergarten classroom. I heard her hit songs on the radio as I moved though elementary school, middle school, and high school. Those songs stuck with me. They were a part of the soundtrack of not only my life but of all those around me, even those who didn’t really like country music. The songs were burned into our brains. Her voice was instantly recognizable and distinct. Dolly’s voice always reminded me of a bird. She seemed ever present, especially to a kid born in the 1970s. 

However, she never went away.

As an adult, I experienced the revelation that she was an incredible songwriter. I never realized she was such a master of the craft until I started to listen to her body of work.

She was a funny and kind-hearted person. She wanted kids to have books. She donated a million bucks to help fund vaccines. She never went the way of the spineless right-wing dolts. 

Yet, everyone seemed to love her. She cut through the bullshit with a charm and a twinkle in her eye. She glittered with rhinestones, but she still had shit on her shoes. 

There are so many reasons we loved her.

Besvärjelsen, Till Glömskan - Ad Oblivionem (2026)

By Beert

Besvärjelsen translates to “conjuring” in English. This band originally hails from Dalarna, Sweden. However, Bandcamp indicates that they now reside in Stockholm. They play self-described forest rock—think of it as Scandinavian desert rock, if labels and sub-genre categorizing is your bag. Following their acclaimed 2022 album, Atlas, Besvärjelsen bring us their latest offering, Till Glömskan - Ad Oblivionem, which will be released on August 28, 2026, on Magnetic Eye Records. 

I don’t recall how I stumbled across Besvärjelsen years ago, but I own the Frost (2019) EP and the Atlas LP. So, when I saw that they had a new album coming out this year, I jumped on the pre-order train (sea blue vinyl version for me, please—unfortunately, black was not an option). There is one good factor about social media, as that’s where I happen to see new releases such as this one being announced.

Prior to the release, three singles were unleashed upon us to whet our whistles and get us excited for the album. And, of course, I ate up every one of them. You can listen to songs at their Bandcamp page (https://besvarjelsen.bandcamp.com/album/till-gl-mskan-ad-oblivionem) or on YouTube (https://youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_n-dubUKalYFk7ejzD72eiydFpJjaNrdbQ&si=0Ad4omwXjaveTdZL).

Happily, my copy of the album arrived just over a week before the record is released. I wanted to get a review out before the actual release date. (Hell, getting anything written at any point is a step ahead in my book.) 

The first thing that stands out, before even removing the polyvinyl sleeve, is the fantastic cover art, which is a watercolor by Björn Olars. The beauty and subtle pain in the piece really puts the listener in a good frame of emotion for the album that is about to be spun.

As the needle hits the groove on “The Greatest Sin,” an audio door slowly opens and guides you into this album. The song has a moderately plodding blues underlay with soulful vocals, which start the journey of pain and heartbreak that fills this album. This album exposes the listener to a lot of heartache, loss, and grieving…but in a powerful sense. There is a definite emotional heaviness of love once had and love lost. Moreso than just breakup songs, these songs are about love and realization and a sadness behind it all. 

While the early singles released from the album are great, the album as a whole really provides the fully impassioned story you don’t quite get from the individual songs. It’s not a concept album, per se, but it does tell a story in its own way. There’s an anger behind the heartbreak in the songs. The lyrics give the sharpened details, but the music is a well-painted backdrop for all of it. The dark icing on the cake is the final song, “Oblivion.” When you listen to the other 10 songs, in my opinion, you’re blown away. The layering and heaviness (emotionally, as it’s not over-the-top heavy music) is brilliant. And then you’re left with “Oblivion.” It is a vocal and piano piece that pulls your heart out of your chest, hiding behind the beauty of the song.

The album is outstanding in a year full of fantastic releases, such as records by All Them Witches, Elder, Monolord, Blackwater Holylight, Heather The Jerk, Taxi Girls, Neurosis, Ealdor Bealu, Red Sun Atacama, etc. And, right now, it’s holding just above the others for Album of the Year for me. I don’t say that lightly, as I never choose an actual, single Album of the Year. But goddamn…get this album, now.

Thank you Besvärjelsen. Thank you for showing beauty in pain, love in heartbreak, and healing in devastation.

Bra-fucking-vo!

Iwaki Takehiko (also known as Jhaha/Jha Jha), Singer of Lip Cream (1963-2026)

By SoDak

In the late 1980s, I first heard the Japanese band Lip Cream thanks to a friend who gave me a cassette tape that included recordings of some of their songs along with others by Gauze, the Stalin, and G.I.S.M. (who I knew from the excellent 1984 International P.E.A.C.E. Benefit Compilation). All these Japanese hardcore bands were incredible, playing chaotic, high-speed punk rock. Lip Cream incorporated some very speedy rock-and-roll and blues riffs, in their early songs, and touches of metal and experimental music into later recordings. Jha Jha played bass in Dead Cops before becoming the vocalist for Lip Cream. His raw, blood-curdling style and frantic energy involved singing in Japanese and English, expressing anger about the alienating aspects of urban life in Japan. Many songs described the apocalyptic destruction of war. Jha Jha did the artwork for the Big Foot cassette, sometimes called Kill the IBM because these words were part of the design. From 1984 to 1990, Lip Cream made their mark, creating some distinct anarcho-Japanese hardcore punk, recording a series of blistering records, which Relapse Records re-issued at the end of 2025, beginning of 2026. Finally, I have copies to hear Jha Jha in full glory, spitting out the words, especially on the last studio record, sometimes called —SIN—.

Uncultivates, “Every Day I Wake Up on the Bonnet of a Different Car"

By Jack Rafferty

Uncultivates is a new discovery for me. They are an Irish band that plays a type of mathcore/post-hardcore reminiscent of Dillinger Escape Plan, and they dress in ridiculous cowboy outfits, somewhat in the vein of the social commentary/American parody style of something like the B-52s (I could be reaching here a bit in terms of their intent, but it comes off as being from the lens of critique). They commit to the bit with this, even replying to interview questions with cartoonish lingo that at the very least is done in the spirit of fun, and more than likely is coming from a place of making fun out of these Western mythos and tropes. 

The song, “Every Day I Wake Up on the Bonnet of a Different Car,” in particular, is a lambast of the current right-wing zeitgeist, with a particular emphasis on the drug-addled toad, Joe Rogan. The music video they have put together for this track is how I would recommend experiencing it, as it does an excellent job of visually conveying this critique, through playing clips in the background of Rogan, Trump, Musk, Hulk Hogan, and many other embarrassing pieces of trash (including clips of Nascar, rodeos, stock graphs, American flags and burning skies, and Biden stroking the hair of children) essentially foregoing the need for any direct parody, because showing them being themselves is enough. In the foreground of all this, the band dons their goofy cowboy outfits, while angular, discordant riffs and angry, raw vocals perfectly match the absurdity, vileness, and comically sad figures being shown. 

This song comes from their recently released debut, This Will Become Clear Later, Like the French Revolution. While the album as a whole didn’t excite me as much as this song did, I may still review it down the road. The band is clearly not taking themselves too seriously, but also not holding back in the things they are taking aim at. I appreciate the ways they are reducing some of the more repellent aspects of the culture of the ruling class to fodder for ridicule. They intelligently recognize that in reality they need to say little to convey this, and merely highlight the drug-crazed, anti-intellectual, inhuman foolishness that is their brutalizing and mediocre existence. 

Alice Donut: Two Shows in 2025 (Brooklyn, New York)

By SoDak and Jonnie Dames Rio

April 25 and 26, 2025, the two of us saw Alice Donut play at the Brooklyn Monarch. For both shows, we were at the front of the stage, sharing this moment with other fans. After the second show, we jotted down some general reflections about the build-up to the shows and our experience. Over a year later, as we prepare to post these reflections, we learned of Chet Mazur’s death on August 8, 2026, following a hit-and-run by a driver of a USPS truck. Chet was featured on several Alice Donut record covers and in videos by the band. At the shows in 2025, Chet graced the stage, dancing, rubbing himself, and singing along to classic Alice Donut songs. His kindness was on full display.

There are bands whose significance only grows as the years pass. Alice Donut is one of them. From hearing the first record to seeing them long ago to watching the documentary, there are many entry points to the world of Alice Donut. Their songs are catchy, while being tragic, demented, and scathing critiques of the inhumanity that festers from the capitalist world system. The odd time signatures and twisted sections in songs add to the quirky and cerebral curiosities. While they officially disbanded in 1996, only to reunite from time to time from 2001 on, CDs and LPs kept their unconventional music present in our lives. The documentary Freaks in Love (2011) helped satiate some of the yearnings for more Alice Donut. It also seemed to promise that while the members resided in different states, they continued to play music, which would manifest in new releases. Every now and then, such as in 2014 and 2017, Alice Donut played shows. Thus, in November 2024, when they announced a show at Brooklyn Made, a small club in Brooklyn, New York, anticipation was high. While chatting on the phone, SoDak informed Jonnie Dames Rio about the show. Anticipating that the concert would quickly sell out, Jonnie Dames Rio (due in part to his excitement as well as extreme lack of impulse control) purchased tickets during the phone call. As predicted, the show sold out quickly. A second show was added. People from all over the United States and European nations booked flights and hotel rooms, eager to experience this rare event. Then we waited and wondered. What would Alice Donut sound like after all these years? Will it be worth the expenses and time? 

In February 2025, refunds for tickets were issued, as the club Brooklyn Made closed its doors. Would the shows even happen? Would travel plans have to be changed? Could they be changed? News that efforts were being made to secure another venue circulated. Would we be able to obtain tickets for the shows at the new club? Will we just have to listen to the records and forget about sharing this experience? Holy shit, Victims Family was announced as an opening band on one of the nights. Can we get tickets for that night? This must happen. Fortunately, tickets were purchased for both nights, thanks again to Jonnie Dames Rio, at the Brooklyn Monarch, a larger venue. We must listen to the records and rewatch the documentary before the shows. We need to make sure the flights and trains get us to the venue with plenty of time. We cannot miss a moment of these shows. 

On April 25, folks are trickling into the venue. The guitar players from Alice Donut are in the crowd talking with friends. The crowd is mixed, as far as ages, but leans heavily toward being older. Many of the younger folks are attending the show with their parents who grew up with Alice Donut and are sharing a cherished moment with them and perhaps a view of their parents that they have never seen. While not knowing anybody else in the crowd, it seems as if many of the older folks are being transported back to their younger days, giddy with excitement, effusively energetic, adding to the effervescence of the event. Nasalrod takes the stage and explodes into action. The balding singer is constantly doing jump kicks. His voice is great. They are quirky and perfectly fit the bill. Impressive performance. Victims Family up the ante with their jazzy, punk driving songs. The bass notes vibrate through everyone’s body causing us to bob our heads while smiling. The show moves along quickly. The folks next to us are looking at the set lists that were taped to the stage. We grin as we see the selection of songs. A couple from Washington state mention that seeing Alice Donut was on their check list of bands they had to see. A guy from Albany, New York, tells us that he saw Alice Donut dozens of times in the 1990s. A woman from Chicago who is bouncing up and down during every song throughout the night saw Alice Donut play on one of the previous reunions. She is ecstatic. 

Alice Donut takes the stage appreciating the excitement. Like all the bands, they are older, much grayer. They take in the moment, get prepared, and kick into their set. At the start, guitar picks are dropped, an amp stops working, a story is told, and glasses are held in place while rocking out. As the band finds its legs, momentum is built. The embrace between the crowd and the band is felt. Goosebumps appear repeatedly, as specific songs are played. Alice Donut plays additional songs not on the setlist, so we are thankful to hear more than anticipated. Chet stalks the sides of the stage as if building up the courage to join the band mid set. He struts on the stage (where he belongs) weaving in between members of the band. While he looks older, there is no denying that his is the face on the cover of Mule. Perhaps not as provocative as his performance art pieces opening up for Alice Donut in the 1990s, his presence brings a sense of completeness to the show. Tears well up, as we are here, because live music is special. We share this emotion, this creation. We feed off each other’s energy, singing along. The moments pass quickly. We are so fucking happy. Fortunately, we have tickets for the next night. 

The next day, April 26, Dave Giffen, one of the guitar players is crossing the street. We are talking with a couple wearing Alice Donut shirts. Dave smiles and nods. Another friend, who has never been to a punk show joins us. Reunions abound within the venue. There is much to catch up on. We meet new folks, who we start calling friends. Many people are also here for the second night. A couple tells us they used to see both the opening bands, Babe the Blue Ox and Very Pleasant Neighbor, all the time in the 1990s. They promise us, we will be impressed. Babe the Blue Ox are awesome, with their two percussionists. Everyone in the band sings. They still play regularly, and it shows—they are tight. One of the drummers from Babe the Blue Ox also plays in Very Pleasant Neighbor. They put on a solid set. A British woman gets really excited when she sees that Alice Donut is playing “Mother of Christ” and “Cain.” “Mother of Christ” is her third favorite song. We wish that “Bottom of the Chain” was on the set list—there are so many songs we want to hear. The photographers are moving back and forth to position themselves to document the performance. 

Alice Donut seems more self-assured as they take the stage. From the first note, they have even more drive and energy. The guitar players are exchanging smiles. Sissi’s bass tone is excellent, with a slight rumble. Tomas is taking in the entire experience. Stephen steps out from behind the drum kit to play “War Pigs” on the trombone. The crowd is ecstatic, as old punkers start to slam, but as older adults. Arms are in the air, pounding to the beat. With each song, the crowd is getting louder, losing themselves, singing along, not wanting this moment to end, while trying to make the most of what is happening, as we never know if this will be the last time we get to see this band. Hopefully, there will be more shows. (In 2026, they played two shows in San Franscisco.) 

In 2025, we were there for Alice Donut. It was awesome to share these moments with dear friends and so many others who are in the Alice Donut family. Much thanks for these experiences.