The Public’s weekly local music reviews and previews. 

Album:  Pura Mujer by Basement Rat  Recommended if you like:  Sonic Youth, Lightning Bolt, Melt Banana

Five-piece all female punk band Basement Rat recently released a nine-song cassette tape titled Pura Mujer (Spanish for “pure woman”). The record is a noisey, almost scary venture into underground punk. Recorded by Dave Dluga, the Pura Mujer was released last week by Drug Party Tapes. 

Album:  SORRY by The Slums  RIYL:  Cursive, At The Drive In, Glassjaw

Like the first single, “Gospel Part II” the Slums’ new record, Sorry, is a heavy hitting, melodic album that pulls no punches. Taking cues from early 2000s post-hardcore bands like At The Drive In and Glassjaw the record is a fountain of discordant guitar riffs and overdriven bass lines. Highlights include the “Black Lung” and the bipolar “David” which flips between sugar sing-along and ferocious scream-along. SORRY was recorded at Quiet Country Audio with engineer Paul Besh. See our interview with the band on page 15.