Boxing Days

5 BEST ALBUMS OF THE MONTH – MARCH 2026

Posted on by JL

30 March 2026

Band: THE RATS
Who: Post-punk dogs from
Ghent, Belgium ready to bite.

Album: BOXING DAYS
Their debut.

TUTV: The rat race is on, folks. This debut is, without a shadow of a doubt, a longplayer that will last for a long time. For its sharp-teethed punkiness (British Racing Green / Won’t Stand For It / Muck And Bullets and the flabbergasting The Wrong Day), for its bloodcurdling execution, and for its overall KO horsepower in 8 rounds.

The Rats, led by vim and vigour by motormouth Emile Dekeyser, offer barbed-wire songs with body and balls, with heart and soul, with vivacity and a jagged joie de vivre. Every uppercut stands loud and proud on its own feet. Striking debut. Hands down.

SINGLE

ALBUM


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BOXING DAYS on Spotify – Instagram – Linktree

Band: HOLY FUCK
Who: Robust electro rock veteran combo from Toronto, CA.
They formed in 2004. All members also have their own projects.

Album: EVENT BEAT

TUTV: HF do not fuck around. They serve a fusillade of badass EBM jams.
Sonic fuel for the 24-hour party people among us. They alternate pulsating sledgehammers with galvanizing grooves and trancy vibes. Here and there,
they add some vocals, but the boisterous beats are king.

They know all the electro-techno party tricks in the book by now.
No dull moments with these Canadian disco-punk connoisseurs.

SINGLE

ALBUM


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Album on Spotify – Tour Dates – Instagram

Artists: JAH WOBBLE and JON KLEIN
Who: The dub bass expert who was co-founder of John Lydon‘s P.i.L.
a zillion years ago, and the former Siouxsie and The Banshees guitarist (1987-1994).

Album: AUTOMATED PARADISE
Their 3rd collaborative one.

Klein: “Working with Jah Wobble is always an inspiring experience. When I started working
with him in recording sessions, he often quoted the words of Holger Czukay, the bass player of German band Can: “First we play, then afterwards we talk! We like to make things happen in the moment. Often we complete a working draft to a piece of music from scratch in a few hours.”

Wobble: “The music comes from that silent place. It’s pre-existing. You just allow it to flow. Proper post punk. Angry and humorous. Okay, it’s the end of civilisation. But nothing lasts forever right? We shouldn’t take it to heart.”

TUTV: The duo has puzzled an ominous, dark-groovin’ 8-jams record together.

Klein‘s aggressively articulated, Cockney-punk vocals accentuate his
take on our messed-up planet, crowded with bloodsucking politicians.

Wobble‘s dub bass play is still spot-on, and accompanied here
by brutish guitar ruckus, while the tone swells grimmer track by
track.

Overall, Automated Paradise sounds as if Doomsday
is just around the corner. No fiction, reality.

STREAM/BUY


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Wobble – Instagram / Jon Klein – Facebook

Band: THE DARTS
Who: American garage rock bats, fronted by charismatic
singer-songwriter/keyboardist Nicole Laurenne.

Album: HALLOWEEN LOVE SONGS
Their 6th.

TUTV: It’s the perfect soundtrack for ebullient parties at your local graveyard. It’s an eery garage pop/rock record for your favorite nightmares, stuffed mostly with high-tempered, catchy tunes motorized by freakish guitars, bass/drum frenzy, glowing organ heat, and Laurenne‘s tempting and arousing vocals.

Let’s all get together in the midnight hours, celebrate our spine-chilling life, admire
each other’s psycho outfits, send the war-greedy Bogeymen (you know who they are)
to hell, be sweet creeps, trick and treat everybody with spooky jokes, and never ever
forget to go nuts, all you manic motherrockers out there, with the help of these 13 new smashing Darts pumpkins.

SINGLE

ALBUM


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ALBUM on Spotify – Instagram – Linktree

Artist: KYE ALFRED HILLIG
Who: Singer-songwriter from
Tacoma, Washington.

Album: THE ALL-NIGHT COSTUME COMPANY
His 9th. Order info here.

Press info: “It’s a record born from necessity rather than momentum, written during
a period when Hillig had nearly walked away from music altogether, and found himself worse for it. What emerged instead is his most vital and clear-eyed work to date, an
album shaped by collapse, community, and the unglamorous work of staying alive.”

TUTV: KAH’s warm, enthralling Americana voice infuses his mixed-emotions songs with a puissant Tom Petty swagger, a rock-solid John Mellencamp zip, and, at times, a Billy Bragg tenacity. From rock to country to balladry. 12 enchanting tunes.

Hillig‘s versatile songwriting skills shine throughout this highly appealing
and enrapturing record. I’ll have it on my earphones for a long time.

KEY TRACKS: The Horrible Truth / Divorce Of Course Of Course / Jules Can You See Me? / Something Is Different / Our Remaining Pig / We Were Right (‘Til We Were Wrong)

SINGLE

ALBUM


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Instagram

THE RATS – Belgian Punk Dogs Show Their Teeth On Bloodcurdling Debut LP ‘BOXING DAYS’

Posted on by JL

25 March 2026

Band: THE RATS
Who: Post-punk dogs from
Ghent, Belgium ready to attack.

Album: BOXING DAYS
Their debut.

Press info: While the first releases focused on mechanical grooves, their debut
album, Boxing Days, has become a distinct guitar album. The nonconformist approach
to songwriting, however, remained: in eight tracks clocking in at just over half an hour,
it ranges from raw, back-to-the-roots punk to the closest they’ve ever come to a ballad.

There are echoes of Wire and Gang Of Four, alongside contemporary references like IDLES, Shame, and Viagra Boys, but The Rats never resort to imitation. What prevails is a radically unique identity: that of a band that never chooses the easy way out and doesn’t follow trends.”

The cover artwork features Albert Laperre, the great-grandfather of the album’s
graphic designer Stan Tijtgat, an amateur boxer who went down often but always
came back fighting.

Emile Dekeyser (frontman) adds: “It’s a fitting image for an album that, despite its title,
isn’t about fighting or winning. Boxing Days is about survival, about learning how to remain standing, even when you can’t quite keep up with the punches.”

TUTV: The rat race is on, folks. Time to get up, stand up, and fight for your right to start
a moshpit whenever and wherever you are, the moment Boxing Days torpedoes your ears. This debut is, without a shadow of a doubt, a longplayer that will last for a long time. For its sharp-teethed punkiness (British Racing Green / Won’t Stand For It / Muck And Bullets and the flabbergasting The Wrong Day), for its bloodcurdling execution, and for its overall KO horsepower in 8 rounds.

But it’s not only about the stupefying noizzz
and the turbulent spit-and-sneer excorcism.

The Rats, led by vim and vigour by motormouth Emile Dekeyser, offer barbed-wire songs with body and balls, with heart and soul, with vivacity and a jagged joie de vivre. Every uppercut stands loud and proud on its own feet.

A striking example is Boxing Day. A burning torch that moves like a snake chases
her helpless prey, slowly and viciously, until the fatal attack. Goosebumps.

Another standout, according to my enthusiastic ears, is the bone-chilling closer, called Stomper. A sort of aftermath meditation on what the fuck happened here, what
did we do, where will we go. Its ominous pace and out-of-your-Emile-mind finale is no
less than startling.

The Rats are a well-oiled rock machine wasting no time on arty-farty superfluity
and/or bombastic overproduction. 32 minutes of brutal honesty is what we get.

Great debut albums are the ones everybody remembers long after their release,
no matter how many followed, because of their uncalculated directness, their
primal, innocent discharge, and their everlasting tunes. Boxing Days undeniably
belongs to this coveted category

The Rats‘ message is crystal clear.
They’re here to stay. Join them.

STREAM/BUY ALBUM HERE


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BOXING DAYS on Spotify – Instagram – Linktree

THE RATS Will Punch Really Hard With Debut LP ‘BOXING DAYS’ On March 20th – Hear The 3 Knock-Out Singles Here

Posted on by JL

6 March 2026

Band: THE RATS
Who: Hungry punks from
Ghent, Belgium ready to explode.

Album: BOXING DAYS
Out on March 20th.

Press info: While the first releases focused on mechanical grooves, their debut
album, Boxing Days, has become a distinct guitar album. The nonconformist approach
to songwriting, however, remained: in eight tracks clocking in at just over half an hour, it ranges from raw, back-to-the-roots punk to the closest they’ve ever come to a ballad.

There are echoes of Wire and Gang Of Four, alongside contemporary references like IDLES, Shame, and Viagra Boys, but The Rats never resort to imitation. What prevails is a radically unique identity: that of a band that never chooses the easy way out and doesn’t follow trends.”


Album artwork

Emile Dekeyser (frontman): “Despite the title, Boxing Days isn’t about
fighting or winning. No, the record is about survival, about learning to stay
upright, even when you can barely keep up with the punches.”


Frontman Emile – Photo by Turn Up The Volume

TUTV’s ears already had the opportunity to dive into the album.
It’s gonna be a riff-roasting rat race. You’d better check your
brave stereo for the upcoming KO punches.

These 3 tasters will get you in the moshpit mood.

– MUCK & BULLETS –
Mean machine missile
motorized by manic drums.


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– ROLLING WITH THE PUNCHES –
Schizo guitars, frenetic percussion
and an angry young man in the middle.


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– BOXING DAY –
A sonically softer Rats jam.
Well, until the fuming finale.


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All 3 on Spotify.


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Instagram – Linktree

THE RATS – Badass Belgian Punk Grinchs Drop Xmas Firecracker ‘BOXING DAY’

Posted on by JL

Daily electricity to load your batteries

22 December 2025

Band: THE RATS
Who: Hungry punks from Ghent, Belgium who have
released their smashing debut EP Disco To Disco
last year.

New Track:
The first single of their upcoming
debut album, baptized Boxing Days.

Press info: “Boxing Days” is their first release with new guitarist Eno Meulenbergs.
This line-up change opened up a renewed sense of creative freedom. You can hear it immediately on single Boxing Day, which begins in an unusually melancholic tone carried by sweeping guitars and drums, spoken word vocals and delicate strings. Once the track explodes, it’s clear the band hasn’t lost an ounce of intensity.

Lyrically, the single sits comfortably in the Fairytale of New York tradition:
Christmas as a backdrop for regret, self-reflection and resolutions that start
crumbling the moment they’re spoken aloud.

The repeated closing line “I promise next year it will get better / I promise next
year I will be better” sounds more like an attempt to convince oneself than
a reassurance for someone else.

Emile (frontman) “If Christmas is for the
family, then Boxing Day is for your mates.”

TUTV: After a moody guitar/drum intro, all hell breaks loose. No silent night with The Rats. Boxing Day is a fierce, snail-paced torch that slowly but surely heads towards a volcanic eruption. You can feel the ominous tension in the air.

Emile is joined by Lewis Duffin of British indie band Hotel Lux and Jasper De Petter of Belgian noiseninks Ronker for a louder than war finale. Your Xmas will never be the same again, folks. Watch your back for these unhinged punk grinchs.

STREAM


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BUY


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Instagram – Facebook