Here's the new Ritual Cross tape plus a whole bunch more
We're back with a new tape and I'm also here to ramble about music a bit.
I'm proud to announce that the new Ritual Cross release entitled II is now available to stream and purchase on Bandcamp. Much like the first tape, only 50 copies are available online.
Bandcamp New & Notable Jul 9, 2025
If you're local to Chicago, we're playing a show on Saturday, February 21 at Tone Deaf Records with Flesh Commodity and Leadburner and you can buy tapes and shirts there if you're so inclined. And, what do you know, here's a cool flyer for that show!
Not to editorialize about my music in a way that's completely unbecoming, but the songs on II are some of my favorites we've written together. I snuck in a couple very specific musical references in some of these riffs and I'll be delighted if folks catch them. So, if you listen, feel free to let me know your theories. I also think we did a better job of incorporating the ambient and noise elements here, which I'm sure won't be for everyone but I do think are an essential piece of the puzzle.
Though I had no hand in writing them—aside from screaming some of them as backing vocals on "War Crimes"—I'm very pleased with the lyrics, too. I think they put a fine point on topics such as American's perpetual decay, the ongoing Palestinian genocide, and self-immolation as an effective form of protest. If you can't hang with any of that, too bad.
If you know someone who might like this kind of thing, feel free to pass it their way. Especially if they're someone who runs a label that likes to put out punk records, because we're deep into writing for an LP. And in show news that feels insane to type, we're playing with Gudon, the legends from Japan, at Case Cafe on May 7. This one will be bonkers. And, hey, here's a flyer for that one too!
Alright, let's talk about some other music, shall we? Keeping it relatively brief this time, but here's what I've been listening to.
Degenerate Synapse, Battle For The Mind
70eulogy06
This record deserves far more praise than it's getting. This Chicago band has been churning out excellent deathgrind for a minute, but Battle For The Mind is the most fully realized Degenerate Synapse has sounded. With the anti-religious fervor of a young Glen Benton, the blasts of Nasum, and riffs that split the difference between Suffocation and Deicide, this thing never stays in one space for too long. That said, it's avoids becoming so frantic that you can't lock into its rhythms. This is the kind of thing you'd find in the Relapse mailorder catalog in 1999, and if you've got any affection for that sound, you absolutely need to listen to this.
Nightfeeder and Verdict, Död Åt Tyranner Split LP
Gesche
When this split between Nightfeeder and Verdict was released in the middle of December, my eyes and ears were elsewhere. Had I known about its existence, though, I guarantee I'd have been all over it. I've been hooked on Verdict since I discovered them a few years ago, and they're the rare band to carry serious bona fides (Totalitär and No Security, to name only two) that doesn't just rest on their laurels. 2023's The Rat Race is a perfect piece of Swedish hardcore punk that I'd recommend to folks who don't normally get down on that kind of thing.
That said, I've always been lukewarm on Nightfeeder. Unlike Verdict, I don't think Nightfeeder has fully lived up to their pedigree—a tough task for any band featuring a member of Disrupt. But on this split, Nightfeeder finally writes songs that stick in my head and don't feel like a facsimile of other better bands. I may not fully be a fan, but I'm definitely going to be giving their side of this split more spins than I initially anticipated.
Ratboys, Singin' to an Empty Chair
Ratboys
My opinions modern indie-rock's unending fascination with country music are not something I'm shy about—I'm extremely fucking over it—but when you hear someone do it well, I'm happy to eat my words. Chicago's Ratboys are the shining example of how to take twangy pieces and make them lived-in and lively; more than just trendy set dressing. Moreover, it's been thrilling to watch them evolve from a very good band, which they were on their very first release, to a truly great band with each successive album. I genuinely wish I could stop saying "this is their best album yet" when Ratboys release a new album, not because I want them to take a step back, but because I know how trite that statement is. But Singin' to an Empty Chair is best Ratboys album yet. I might write a similar version of that sentence in three years, but if it's true, then so be it.
From the buzzy bounce of "Anywhere" to the absolutely rollicking end of "Light Night Mountains All That," this is a band that's locked in and unafraid to push their sound into new, expansive directions. Since I don't think a small blurb can do the album justice, allow me to direct you to the fantastic profile Nina wrote for Pitchfork. It's the best kind of music writing, where you don't just get the background details, you get a feel for the people at the center of the story. It's a fantastic companion piece to the record itself, so give it a read then throw the album on immediately after. I promise, you won't regret it.
Various Artists, Future Left Behind Compilation
Bandcamp New & Notable Jan 18, 2026
At this point, lamenting the death of compilations feels extremely rote. We all know how this once-crucial discovery tool was replaced by playlists in the streaming era, and that effectively put a bullet in the head of compilation albums. When I saw Future Left Behind get announced, even I was a bit dubious; I can't think of many modern comps that I actually sit and play in full. At the very least, I'll usually just cherrypick the few songs from bands I already like and let the others get one courtesy stream and then forget they even exist.
That's why I'm shocked that Future Left Behind works so well. For one, it shows that hardcore is not just one sound, despite the fact so many fests and online personalities would have you believe otherwise. From early-'80s hardcore to grindcore to emoviolence, there's a little bit of everything here, and it serves as a snapshot of a scene united by shared goals instead of a specific sonic hallmark. I'd love to see that mentality come back into vogue again.
Did I mention that Dan Ozzi and I are podcasting again? And doing it weekly? Because we are! It's called No Disrespect and you can listen wherever you do that kind of thing. If you liked it when it was a music podcast, you probably won't like it now, as it's full-on hangout mode, where we just rant about anything and everything that comes to our minds over the course of an hour. We'll do it until we run out of things to talk about, which just might mean we do this podcast until one of us dies or we pull the plug next week. Only one way to find out!