Verböten - "Bodily Autonomy"

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Photo by Jaycee Rockhold

Verböten are a legendary 1980's punk band out of Evanston, IL. They've been championed by Dave Grohl, who included the band in his Sonic Highways series and credits the band with inspiring him to write songs. The band was founded by Jason Narducy (Superchunk, Bob Mould Band, Sunny Day Real Estate), Tracey Bradford, Chris Kean, and Zach Kantor when they were all between the ages of ten and fourteen. Now (with the exception of drummer Kantor who has given the band his blessing), the band is back with new music and their first ever album! "Bodily Autonomy" is a melodic punk track that rages despite the melody involved. It shows off some serious indie rock roots, but "Bodily Autonomy" is a punk track through and through. It kind of combines all of Narducy's other bands into one sound, and it's quite literally perfect.

Jason Narducy says of his band's new music:

“We asked ourselves, ‘What was it that inspired us in the 80s?’ There were a lot of bands that were political, so we decided to lead this record with two highly political songs that are rip your face off, aggressive.”

You can watch the video for "Bodily Autonomy" below. Verböten's self-titled debut album is due out October 4, and is available for pre-order here. The band will be playing their first live show since 1983 at Riot Fest on September 21. For more on Verböten, check out the band on Instagram and Facebook.

On Repeat...

Liam Kazar - "Shoes Too Tight"

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Photo by Alexa Viscius This may be Liam Kazar's debut single, but the Chicago based musician already has an impressive resume, having worked with Jeff Tweedy, Chance the Rapper, Steve Gunn, Daniel Johnston, and others. "Shoes Too Tight" features childhood friend Spencer Tweedy on drums, Lane Beckstrom on bass, and Ohmme on vocals. It's an absurdly fun and groovy little song that is a party waiting to happen. What he gives us here is a timeless song that could truly have been released any time since the 1960's (ok... maybe not the 80's...) There are elements of classic rock, 60's crooners and R&B, indie rock, modern Americana... it's really just packed with everything in a cohesive song that maintains the vibe the entire way through. You can watch the video for "Shoes Too Tight" below. For more on Liam Kazar, check him out on Instagram and Twitter . He's also raising money on his Bandcamp for Constellation and The Hungry Brain. ...
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Dutch ReBelle - "GOONIEZ"

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How is Dutch ReBelle not a national superstar at this point? The Boston MC just released "GOONIEZ," and I know I'm a bit out of touch with current mainstream hip hop, but this song is absolutely killer. It's a stripped down hip hop song that has this futuristic space age sound to it. Plus, ReBelle's flow is unsurpassed. You can't listen to her and not be completely sucked in. The song has a feel reminiscent of classic Missy Elliott. As much as I love that we can still see Dutch ReBelle in smaller Boston venues, "GOONIEZ" proves she should be playing much larger venues nationwide very, very soon. You can watch the video for "GOONIEZ" below. For more on Dutch ReBelle, check out the artist's website . 
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The Freqs - "Witch"

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Photo via Facebook When you're a rock band from Salem, MA, you have to have at least one song about witchcraft. The Freqs have fulfilled their obligation with a banger of a song. "Witch" is this giant monster of a song, filled with fuzz and strained, screaming vocals. This is the type of song that doesn't usually exist in this century. It's giving me some serious 90's flashbacks, like if Hum got aggressive or Alice in Chains decided to do some damage on the college charts. As great as the vocals are in "Witch," what's really drawing me in is the instrumental break down that takes over about halfway through. This is the kind of song to make the hipsters and the headbangers equally excited. You can listen to "Witch" below. For more on The Freqs, check out the band on Facebook and Instagram . The Freqs · Witch
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