Institutionalised Catharsis

Austin punks Institute impressed with their nihilist stare and punch on last year's Salt EP. They are about to release debut album Catharsis through Sacred Bones, and it's varied but no less self-flagellating. Moses Brown and his cronies are as interested in connection as ever - that is, not at all. Their purge is theirs and theirs alone - but the frenetic fervour that these guys conjure will have you sweating feverishly and gnashing your teeth as you connect with the basest disappointment of living life. With added Kraut rhythms, post-punk intensity and Parquet Courts (Andrew Savage melts down closer 'Christian Right'), Catharsis is a cleansing of sorts - but also a sign o' times to come.

Glued To The Opportunist‏

Wow. This four-track 7" from Texans Glue is brutal - and weird. There is no doubt that this is a hardcore band with their feet stomping skulls as only they know how - caught up in their own maelstrom, you have a feeling that this crew don't care who or what is around them, as long as they are breakable and combustible. Get it here.

Rubbing Salt Into Your Sacred Institute

Institute are outta Austin, Texas. You'd be excused for double-taking at that, seeing as their geographical brethren would be more akin to the Scandinavian nihilist post-punk set. Lower, Iceage, Holograms - they all know how to remain seductively melodic even as they are stripping layers off the inner walls of your skull. They include members of bands such as Wiccans and Glue (who you will hear more of next week), and from the tense, tetanus-infused squalls of their initial demos to the more fleshed out sound of new EP Salt (out on Sacred Bones), it's clear that Institute isn't part of the system.

Pre-order Salt here.