Pizza Crunch

These Are TURN UP THE VOLUME’S 20 Knockout Tracks Of 2021 (So Far)

Posted on by JL

This year’s best tracks (so far)…

Yes, we have already reached the middle of 2021. The world, finally, looks brighter
than last year. Mad summer parties are just around the corner. And here’s the perfect soundtrack… Turn Up The Volume’s 20 best knockout tracks of 2021, so far!

All together on Spotify…

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Track by Track…

1. ‘Finger Pies’ by ANIKA (Berlin)
Electro earworm that moves and grooves from the get-go driven by a rolling
bass riff. Strangely catchy, mysteriously designed with a hypnotic effect. Top!

Catch the vibe…

2. ‘Nike Soldier’ by ALAN VEGA (US)
Alan Vega is dead! Long live Alan Vega! This spine-chilling
slo-mo groove comes from his lost album Mutator.

Check in…

3. ‘Night Is Mine’ – ULTRA SUNN (Brussels, Belgium)
Combine D.A.F.‘s industrial vibes, Sisters Of Mercy‘s gloom and doom hallucinations, and Depeche Mode‘s pop-noir thrills and you know it’s time for a dazzling night. It’s the title track from their standout debut EP.

Put on your leather jacket and dance…

4. ‘One + One’ by DEATH FROM ABOVE 1979 (Canada)
With Is 4 Lovers the Canadian champions of drone noise rock made one of their best
full-lengths (so far). And the lead-single ‘One + One’ is a bulldozing, yet catching power blast that comes right at you.

Get slammed…

5. ‘Ten Points On The Damage Meter’ by HOW TO LOOT BRAZIL (Germany)
No rest for all who are addicted to dance their asses off. This is a hip-shaking belter, 145 seconds of steamed-up pop-punk euphoria. Imagine German dark disco legends D.A.F. on speed, fronted by Brit-girls Shampoo who are in trouble again.

Here comes the shot of adrenalin…

6. ‘Coma-Inducing Gibberish‘ by PIZZA CRUNCH (Scotland)
Scottish hit the bullseye with this sturdy stunner. A fab-tastic masterstroke to shut up all narcissists. Beware of getting too excited. It can lead to a rock ‘n’ roll coma. Whatever! Go for it!

Right here, right now…


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7. ‘Stay’ by ONISM E (New York)
A soul-stirring and highly affecting vocal highlight – from one of the best albums of 2021 – by this rad emo-striking NY-based outfit. Stream/buy ‘Survivors’ LP here.

And stay for this pearl…

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8. ‘Fall Of The Big Screen’ by DEADLETTER (South London)
Imagine George Orwell fronting The Fall back in Nineteen Eighty-Four scaring the
world with a grim, futuristic vision of humankind about to collapse in 2021 due to
a deadly virus. Scary!

Turn up the heat here…

9. ‘Wake Up’ by LOBSTERBOMB (Berlin, Germany)
A screaming triumph. This up-and-coming Berlin trio combines Bikini Kill‘s rough
outcries, L7‘s detonating gusto, and B-52‘s peppery liveliness. Touchdown!

Wake up here…

10. ‘Heroin’ by PERMO (Scotland)
A sizzling slice of trash and slash punk. Expect 135 striking seconds of heavy thunder
and creepy lighting. Totally insane drums and bass, deranged guitar frenzy, and cranked-up, psych-o-tic howling. Fucktastic intensity!

Hell yeeeaaahhhh…


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11. ‘We… Are Doomed’ by THE IRRATIONAL LIBRARY (Dutch-American)
A challenging rap and roll rant by an open-minded-plainspoken-ass-kicking-anti-establishement-and-other-scumbags force of doom and gloom. The title track from
this caring collective’s excellent new album.

Apocalypse now…

12. ‘Boilermaker’ by ROYAL BLOOD (UK)
The blues-rock tandem is back with this motherfucker of
a slam dunk from their brand new album Typhoons.

Wham bloody wham bam…

13. ‘The Men Who Rule The World’ by GARBAGE (US/Scotland)
A surprisingly funky disco banger that triggers your head’s up-and-down movement the very moment the money drops into the corrupt politicians’ pockets. I still love you, Shirley!

Let’s roll…

14. ‘This Is Not’ by CROWS ON WIRES (Germany)
Sultry synths, punchy percussion, glimmering guitar lines, and vibratory vocals.
Sounds like Sisters of Mercy are back, produced by Bauhaus who listened to Soft
Cell on repeat. A stunner, indeed!

Get magnetized here…

15. ‘Vendetta’ – ICEAGE (Denmark)
An intoxicating jam with a threatening pace. A glam
power punch from their best-ever album Seek Shelter.

Press play and get moved…

16. ‘Not To’ by WOLFVANWYMEERSCH (Belgium)
Melancholia at its starry-eyed, synth-pop best. Here’s a romantic at heart, going
solo, who’s sanely obsessed with creating music, playing music, and enjoying music,
if possible, all at the same time. Damon Albarn‘s moody side comes to mind.

Dim the lights and enjoy…

17. ‘Unspoken’ by ANNIE TAYLOR (Switzerland)
A troubled love reverie with a sorrowful touch. Heartbreaking romanticism at its balladesque best, notable for its vocal splendour and silver-toned resonance.

Enjoy the sweet little pearl…


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18. ‘Carry Me On’ by THE BANKROBBER (Italy)
This new musing feels like a nightly gloaming. Acoustic soul-searching and intimate tenderness. The darksome sorrowfulness of several past and present crooners come
to mind when hearing this gloomy song.

Dream away…

19. ‘Man Alone (Can’t Stop The Fadin’)’ by TINDERSTICKS (Nottingham, UK)
Surprising stonker! An 11-minute psychedelic and epic journey. Trippy and spacey.
From their new, 13th album, Distractions.

Follow the flow…


20. ‘Amsterdam’ by MOONLIGHT PARADE (UK)
Magical and red-colored ballad, combining the melodic melancholia of Teenage Fanclub and The Coral. A sweet little gem about a wonderful city I’m in love with for a long time now. Press play and let your thoughts drift away on a cloud.

Listen to the beauty here…

See/hear you next time, music junkies…

Turn Up The Volume’s 15 KNOCKOUT TRACKS For February 2021

Posted on by JL

The best of the past month…

Turn Up The Volume‘s 15 Knockout Tracks for February 2021!
A fervid fusion of rhapsodic rippers and clashing crackerjacks.

‘One + One’ – DEATH FROM ABOVE 1979 (Canada)
New album Is 4 Lovers comes our way on 26 March and One + One
is the trash & slash lead-slam. Welcome back noiseniks. Hallelujah!

‘Coma-Inducing Gibberish‘ – PIZZA CRUNCH (Scotland)
The young gunslingers hit the bullseye again with this new stunner. A fab-tastic masterstroke to shut up all narcissists. Beware of getting too excited. It can lead
to a rock ‘n’ roll coma. Whatever! Go for it!


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‘Middle-Finger’ – DROPKICK MURPHYS (Boston, US)
A booze-filled party cracker from upcoming LP Turn Up That Dial. A familiar
Pogues-like chant that unleashes the beer devil in all of us. Bottoms up!

‘Vendetta’ – ICEAGE (Denmark)
An intoxicating jam with a threatening pace. A glam power
punch from their new album Seek Shelter arriving in May.

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‘Night Is Mine’ – ULTRA SUNN (Brussels, Belgium)
Combine D.A.F.‘s industrial vibes, Sisters Of Mercy‘s gloom and doom hallucinations and Depeche Mode‘s pop-noir thrills and you know it’s time for a dazzling party. It’s the title-track from their standout debut EP. Learn much more about this cool black leather duo from their interview with Turn Up The Volume!

‘Toxic’ – PUSSY RIOT (Russia)
The glorious Russian rebels hit again with a new cut from their upcoming EP. It’s an industrial-synth-whack going forth and back, bringing techno icons The Prodigy to mind.

‘Darkest Hour’ – N.O.A.H (Dublin, Ireland)
An instant killer with a harmonious, mood-boosting sing-along chorus and special guest the Booka Brass – Ireland’s first New Orleans style Brass Band – turning up the heat even more. Even in your darkest hour this vivid earworm causes an uplifting kick.


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‘LOUT’ – THE HORRORS (UK)
A mind-slashing, industrial drone that keeps on pounding and pounding until
the wall comes down. Hefty stuff, folks! Just the way I like it, any day, any time!

‘Ace Of Base‘ – THE FLAVIANS (Berlin)
Your feet and head’s movements get activated from the get-go. Unremitting piano bliss, glorious rhythm, pushed by a funky beat and colored with frisky vocals and cool sixties backing vocals. Synth-pop legends Eurythmics would say Sweet Dreams Are Made Of This.

‘Opaque Crater’ – RITUAL CLOAK (Cardiff, UK)
The power of resounding repetition here is just mind-boggling. In the end, you want the buzzing vibration of this adrenaline-charged tune on repeat in your head. And when this trip slows down for a brief moment it’s only to come back with even more dynamism. Top!


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‘Apply The Pressure’ – MISLED CONVOY and KAT FIVE (UK)
The missing link between two vibrating hallucinations, Massive Attack‘s Teardrop and Leftfield‘s Original. Spacey, outlandish and far-out. Michael Hodgson AKA Misled Convoy creates a flying saucer vibe and Kat Five‘s futuristic thoughts and prophetic words of change reinforce the puzzling and obscure experience.

‘Soho Bedroom Party’ – THE HIDEAWAYS feat. TINY DYNO (UK)
Blissful synth melodiousness. Tremendously sticky flow. Glorious duet chorus. Sparkling orchestration. Play this boosting cock-a-hoop stunner out loud in your bedroom so your neighbors can enjoy these spiffing pop sparks too. Sonic magic!


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‘Fade’ – VIOLET (Midlands, UK)
Imagine The Verve of the early days with madman Richard Ashcroft in the middle with their huge anthemic wall-of-psych-sound going sky-high. Add that cocksure Britpop swagger and you know that your stereo will shake, rattle and roll when this bittersweet amplified symphony bursts out of the speakers. A winner!

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‘Oxygen’ – SEASIDE HEIGHTS (Sweden)
A shot of pop adrenaline. Oxygen causes rhapsodic titillations. You can sing along, hum along, whistle along while pirouetting yourself dizzy to the vibrant vibrations. Fresh air to forget your lockdown blues for a while.


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‘There Be Monsters’ by FAR LANDS (USA)
A magnific sepia-colored musing. A tranquilizing stroll triggering your daily dream moments. McFarlane‘s warm voice takes you on a pacifying trip while a guitar gently weeps throughout the journey. This bluesy beauty invites you to forget the troubling reality we all experience for a while.


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‘Shouts Of The Coal Mine’ – JONAS AND I (Finland)
This beauty resonates as if it comes straight from a Tom Petty album. Its country-pop-
rock feel glows, scintillates and glisters and when the enlivening chorus sets in, with
those Beirut-like warmth of ardent trumpets a satisfying smile will emerge on your face. Topnotch tune!


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All together on Spotify…

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Catchy As Hell – PIZZA CRUNCH Hit Bullseye Again With New Uppercut ‘COMA-INDUCING GIBBERISH’

Posted on by JL

12 February 2021

Band: PIZZA CRUNCH
Who: Taking inspiration from early ’00s indie rock and ’80s post-punk,
most notably in the joyful interaction of the guitars and vocals.

Home: Glasgow, Scotland

Single: COMA-INDUCING GIBBERISH – brand new single paying homage to
Joy Division and the Arctic Monkeys sound while remaining unique and original.

“The song essentially builds to a chorus that outlines the pain of speaking to someone
who won’t stop talking. The verses follow life setbacks and lead to the conversation with
this person in the chorus being all the more infuriating and ‘coma-inducing'” says the band.

Score: The young Scottish gunslingers hit bullseye again with new stunner Coma-Inducing Gibberish. One the most catchy crackers – from start to finish – I heard so far this year. Fired up pop electricity you can dance to, jump up and down to, and go totally out-of-your head to. And when the sickly sticky chorus pops up, a euphoric flare-up will overwhelm you. A fab-tastic masterstroke to shut up all narcissists. Beware of getting too excited. It
can lead to a rock ‘n’ roll coma.

Impossible to resist this…


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PIZZA CRUNCH: Facebook

Single also on Spotify…

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Talking About This Generation – Scottish Gunslingers PIZZA CRUNCH Release Electrifying Debut EP ‘OFF THEIR HEADS’

Posted on by JL

17 November 2020

Band: PIZZA CRUNCH (Glasgow, Scotland)
Who: Taking influences from early ’00s indie rock, bands like The Arctic Monkeys
and The Strokes, Pizza Crunch have developed their own alt-rock sound, combining
honest storytelling with the raw energy of punk.

EP: OFF THEIR HEADS – 3-track debut EP

Ewan Hearns (frontman) says: “It reflects a period of life rife with hedonism that most young people experience, hence the name “Off Their Heads”. “Fraud” very much takes you through the peak of the recklessness, “Twelve Month Seasonal Depression” has a look at the consequences and “La Tour De Carol” is written about a place I went two years ago after we went there as a band. It sort of looks back, acknowledging we didn’t appreciate its beauty enough. A bit like all those years we spent blindly pished.”

Turn Up the Volume says: It must be terrible to be young in these antisocial corona times. You can’t go to the pub and have a drinking-contest with your friends. You can’t go and see your fav football team. You can’t kiss your partner with that mouth mask on and keeping a safe distance when having sex is not fun either. You get tired about watching telly 24/7 and your parents beg you to go out in the garden and leave them in peace for a while. Boring, indeed.

But hey wait. It’s your turn to push your parents into the garden. Just do it, take a six-pack or two, pump up your stereo to the max and check these Scottish garage gunslingers out, going off their heads. Hallelujah! Wham Bam Bloody Bam!

Right here, right now…


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PIZZA CRUNCH: Facebook / Label: Disobedient Records