Slut River - Off White 7" [2012]

When these punks rolled through Champaign last month people went wild for it. Definitely one of the best shows I've seen in town in quite a while. Snotty tunes by people who know how to beat you on the head with groovy punk rhythms and treat yer mind to excellent pop melodies. Somebody on their bandcamp likened the sound to Mika Miko, which isn't real accurate but not totally off either. Hardly an unfavorable comparison in any case. Slut River are further proof -- if you needed any -- that Iowa City has an excellent scene despite (or because of) its prairie isolation. Get this one.

The actual 7" has five songs on it, while the digital version has seven with a slightly different song order. I'm going off the physical release but I bet the other songs are just as good. Just make sure to spin it at 33 1/3 unless you wanna hear chipmunk vocals. 

one sick pup

NERV - Sound Only 02 [2011]

Just saw these Iowan punks in Urbana. The set was a cacophonous frenzy of stomping hardcore riddms and School Jerks-esque hoarse vocal snot. At times the guitars recalled ultracore-period Hüsker Dü, which is always a plus in my book. Overall this is some mighty tight, well-crafted punk music; I suppose there's probably not much else to do in a place like Iowa City. This nine-song, seven-minute release is available for free, so snatch it up why don't ya.

NERV bandcamp