Contributors To The Counterforce

Contributed by Felix L.G #10 FUCKIN’ LOVERS - CRUCIFIXION OF THE MASSES This band is perfect. Captures the stupidity of the style like no one else today. I wonder if they will ever decide to drop the noise and play rock and roll like the later era SWANKYS when they decided to go ‘77 mode. I could really only love this band more if they did a total musical pivot that made everyone really upset. FFO: GAI, CONFUSE, ATROCIOUS MADNESS #9 BLACK DOG - SEWN INTO CONFUSION AUGH! FFO: DISCLOSE, FR...

Contributed by Bad Sasha 1. Burning the Israeli flag during FLOWER on NYE in the Freedom Tunnel 2. Every time STREET GLOVES + Taylor covered Search for the Sun 3. Steve Lake thanking Nay (HYSTERIC POLEMIX) for liking his “weird gay techno” album 4. Zip line and trampoline breaks between bands at Izero Fest in Poland 5. The floor breaking at 1 in 12 club while TOTAL NADA played and saving a piece 6. Everything about SCUMPUTER and ALIENATOR at Bar Patriotes 7. Gabba (CHAOS UK) sayin...

Contributed by P-Lou Another great year for stinky people making music! I found myself listening to a lot of new music this year which is always a good thing! I am also very excited that most of my favourite releases of 2025 were made by friends. Great year for my crew, close and afar!! Here’s my top ten in no particular order: RECALL - Recall (11pm records) TOTAL NADA - Aquí y Ahora (11pm recorda) BASTARD IDOL - Demo 2025 (Demo fest 2025) NORMAL NOW - Demo (Demo fest 2025) HEALING - Healing ...

Contributed by Bee Every time I make my year-end best-of list I struggle to remember what the hell even came out in the last 11.5 months. After pouring through my “recent acquisitions/to-be-shelved” pile of records and tapes, revisiting label websites, or what photos I took, I come up with a list that, immediately upon publication, I realize is missing crucial selections. And year and year again I lack the foresight to just write down what I liked that year. Here’s my crack at it this year. ZY...

Contributed by Ben Rudolph, guitarist in STRESS POSITIONS The first show of our fall tour was at Cobra lounge in Chicago. A nice and early all-ages gig on a beautiful, late summer Thursday. I pick up Steph and we head down to the venue. We are chronically on time to pretty much every gig we play. Jono, Russell and Danny are there to meet us for load in. After an hour or so of mulling around and hanging out with the other bands, people start showing up. Mostly young-ass kids who are stoked as he...

A reportback from 2025's Bread and Roses festival in NYC....

Punks like black shirts. This is an irrefutable fact. As a food spilling person, I am of the same mindset and will always choose a shirt in the punkest shade over any other color. But is there an unknown cost we have all been paying while hiding pit stains?...

The title says it all… I went out of town, and my cat-sitter’s boyfriend left a small stack of records for me. I’d never heard of any of the bands, so I was excited to dive into them....

Contributed by P-Lou Free Palestine I have loved RECALL since the first time I saw them! I remember listening to the demo tape out of my Sony Sports Walkman at work all the time. I was very excited when I heard an EP was on the way earlier this year. Released on 7” with 11pm Records and on tapes through Broken Skull, this new release from the freaks is exactly what it should be – a significant evolution of their sound while always staying true to the essence of the previous material. To me RE...