Negative Space

I was a massive fan of Demo, a four-track cassette put out by Kent bad boys Negative Space, last year, so much so I added it as one of my favourite releases of last year. They are back, this time in 7" form, with four more killer post-punk tracks. They are chiseling further into the crust of the Earth, striking black gold in vitriol and mutual mutilation - having taken their DNA from DNA and platforming an institution out of Institute, Negative Space are spreading their own desiccated disease. They are playing a show in Brighton March 21, with Diat and Sealings - should be one of the best shows of the year, seriously.

Never Grave In Negative Space

Berlin label Grave Imprint (putting out the awesome Pretty Hurts releases) have stepped out of Germany for their next release from Kent punks Negative Space. They have a Crisis/Institute sound (especially 'II'), but there are other touchstones too, from the light wiry buzz of Fugazi and the metallic bounce of Wire - but this is much dirtier, grimier, something I can see spewing out of the gutters of Australia's punk underground.  None of the tracks rise over two minutes, but all make an incendiary impact. These are just demos. Blistering set from an amazing new band.

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.

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.