NEIGHBORHOOD BRATS – CONFINES OF LIFE LP PRE-ORDER!

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NEIGHBORHOOD BRATS – CONFINES OF LIFE LP releases on May 28!

PRE-ORDER your copy at the links below, we have limited red vinyl, black vinyl and a combo deal with a limited shirt!

PRE-ORDER LTD. RED VINYL + SHIRT: https://bit.ly/3e3PF3K

PRE-ORDER LTD. RED VINYL: https://bit.ly/3ecDyBk

PRE-ORDER BLACK VINYL: https://bit.ly/2PuPdBr

North American version will be available from Dirt Cult Records

Artwork by Andy Dahlström / Typotopia AB

On Confines of Life, the third studio album from California punk band Neighborhood Brats, the band dives head-first into songs about environmental crisis, systemic oppression, interpersonal/intrapersonal conflict, and the trappings of modern existence. Following blueprints of ‘77 punk, ‘80s hardcore and elements of post-punk, the diverse songwriting influences of vocalist Jenny Angelillo and guitarist George Rager are showcased throughout, putting the band in their element, while expanding on their original concept.

Recorded in February and March 2020 at Station House studio with Grammy Award-winning producer/engineer Mark Rains, the band had barely finished production when Los Angeles went into its initial shutdown in response to the incoming pandemic. Multiple 2020 tours were subsequently canceled as the music industry, and life in general, came to a standstill.

As live music faces challenges unlike any other in modern existence, the band looks forward to a time when they can safely return to the road. With Nick Aguilar (drums) and Mike West (bass), Neighborhood Brats stands at-the-ready. As their song goes… “We’ll Find You.”

MANIAC – DEMIMONDE LP OUT NOW!

SURPRISE 059 | MANIAC – DEMIMONDE LP

MANIAC are gentlemen punks from Los Angeles. They are what they call a supergroup, being comprised of ex and current members of bands like CLOROX GIRLS, CUTE LEPERS, THE GIRLS, IMAGES, L.A. DRUGZ and RED DONS. Demimonde is their first long player. With echoes of everything from Cheap Trick to early Wire to modern-day greats like The Briefs, Demimonde hits that perfect blend of catchy ’77 punk and jittery new wave. And with all due credit to engineer MARK RAINS at Stationhouse Studios and DANIEL HUSAYN of Red Dons for the mastering job to make this baby loud and raucous.

Under license from LA-TI-DA Records, Vancouver, B.C. | LTDR-LP003

ORDER HERE!

RED DONS + TV SMITH – A VOTE FOR THE UNKNOWN 7″ PRE-ORDER!

SURPRISE 050 |  RED DONS + TV SMITH – A VOTE FOR THE UNKNOWN 7″

A VOTE FOR THE UNKNOWN is a collaborative effort between punk legend TV SMITH and the RED DONS. The former ADVERTS front man provides the lyrics and vocals to music recorded by the band. Tracked in a Swedish bomb shelter and mixed by Hajji Husayn at the NORTH LONDON BOMB FACTORY, this record is a must have for any ADVERTS fan looking for one more offering from TV SMITH backed by a punk band.

Edition of 500 copies on black vinyl in screenprinted sleeves.

RECORDS ARE SCHEDULED TO SHIP MARCH 21!

Order HERE!

New WEBSTORE! MOTHER’S CHILDREN – LEMON LP and NO PROBLEM – ALREADY DEAD LP are out now!

Servus,

I hope you all survived Record Store Day 2014 and got the 180g Deluxe repress of the LP you can buy for 5 bucks at the second hand store. I spent it walking along the Thames in the sun drinking a Brew Dog Punk IPA with good company and did not go see Adam Ant. Anyway, back to the real talk.
The brandnew TBS webstore is finally up and running just in time for the release of the MOTHER’S CHILDREN – LEMON LP and the NO PROBLEM – ALREADY DEAD LP! Big thanks to my main webman Keith Bayer, this new thing features all your online needs, carefully calculates and includes your shipping money and let’s you pay directly via PayPal or bank transfer. I managed to transfer all your login data from the old store so you don’t even have to create a new customer account.
Find it here: www.takenbysurprise.net/store place an order or two and let me know if you encounter any bugs. Oh and if you have any, make sure to tell your friends…

That being said, two new releases are here, here’s what’s

OUT NOW!

SURPRISE 045 | MOTHER’S CHILDREN – LEMON LP
From the mean sour streets of Ottawa, Canada comes the second full length of MOTHER’S CHILDREN aptly entitled: LEMON! 12 new tracks of stompy and glammy powerpop with that old wham-a-lam-bam-thanks-ma’am attitude that we’re used to from those four mouseketeers. Get your fix of Vitamin MC from the sweetest fruit that grows in Canada.

First press are 100 on mellow yellow vinyl and 400 on back in black vinyl.

Order it HERE!

US press to be released on RESURRECTION RECORDS.
CAN press to be released on MAMMOTH CAVE RECORDS.

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SURPRISE 046 | NO PROBLEM – ALREADY DEAD LP
Another Canadian addition to the TAKEN BY SURPRISE family from Edmonton Oilers town, Edmonton: NO PROBLEM! After their stellar debut AND NOW THIS (Deranged / P.Trash) they deliver a sophomore LP that takes their frustrated and paranoid hardcorepunk to a new level. Still taking cues from BLACK FLAG, D.O.A. or TSOL, they add darker and more melodic elements to the mix.

“This is music for maladjusted adults who are too old to be able to relate to teenage problems, but whose feelings of alienation have in no way withered with age, and are looking for something that musically and lyrically captures the frustration of adult punk life in the same way that, say, so many ADOLESCENTS songs are a product of teen angst.  One of my favorite things in the world is bands effectively fusing hardcore with catchy yet aggressive or paranoid melody, as bands like SOCIAL CIRCKLE and DEEP SLEEP have done in recent years.” – MAXIMUM ROCK’N’ROLL

First press are 500 copies on black vinyl. First 100 copies come with a nice 1.5×1.5″ button.

Order it HERE!

NORTH AMERICAN press to be released on DERANGED RECORDS.

NIGHT BIRDS EUROPEAN SUMMER TOUR 2014!

I’m really happy to announce the NIGHT BIRDS EUROPEAN SUMMER TOUR 2014!

We tried our best to cover as much ground as possible on only 11 dates. Check the dates below and see you on the road!

The poster artwork was done by CHRIS SHARY of DESCENDENTS art fame!

31.07. – Amsterdam – Winston
01.08. – Hamburg – Hafenklang
02.08. – Leipzig – Zoro
03.08. – Brno – Kabinet Muz
04.08. – Budapest – Trafik Klub
05.08. – Tolmin – Punkrock Holiday
06.08. – TBA Italy
07.08. – Zürich – Klubi
08.08. – Paris – La Mecanique Ondulatoire
09.08. – London – The Black Heart
10.08. – Ieper – Ieperfest
11.08. – Helsinki – Kuudes Linja

CHEMICALS – CHEMICAL LIVIN LP is out now!

Servus,

here we go again with a quick update! Thanks to everybody who made the CHEMICALS first European tour so much fun! We had the best of times and can’t thank friends old and new enough for the hospitality, partyablity and all the icy cold frosty dogs. Special thanks to the duke of Neufchatel and his estate, without him this buttery cruise on the stormy waters of Lake Neufchatel would not have been possible!!

So just during the tour this record below finally dropped from the pressing plant!

SURPRISE 035 | CHEMICALS – CHEMICAL LIVIN’ LP

“CHEMICALS are punks on drugs, whose hot-wired Trashpunkjunk can be associated with O.C. beachsounds of the “Führers…”-SMOGTOWN or GEARS and the MEAN JEANS on Pepp not canned beer, with their in your face “Screw you!”-nihilism as life’s central philosophy and was originally released on vinyl.in 2009” – OX Fanzine.
Repress of Portland’s finest garagepunkers first LP. Jonny Cat assembled Rich Preinesberger, Hajji Husayn and Douglas Burns of PDX punk stalwarts RED DONS to record this album in 2009 during the same session as RD’s FAKE MEETS FAILURE. 12 raygun blasts of nihilistic, futuristic and chemicalistic punk! Originally released on JONNY CAT RECORDS in 2009, this record has been remastered by Hajji Husayn at NORTH LONDON BOMB FATCORY MASTERING and has updated artwork by NYC’s finest AVI SPIVAK! 500 copies only, ever.

SINGLE COPIES ARE 15 EUROS POSTAGE PAID WORLDWIDE!
SEND YOUR PAYMENT TO: info@takenbysurprise.net

Or order HERE!

Stream and download the whole thing here:

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NEXT UP ARE:

BIG EYES – ALMOST FAMOUS LP
CHEMICALS / P.R.O.B.L.E.M.S. split 7″
NIGHT BIRDS – BORN TO DIE IN SUBURBIA LP
AUTISTIC YOUTH – 3rd LP
RED DONS – NOTES FROM THE UNDERGROUND 7″
LONG KNIFE debut LP

and then some…

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MAILORDER!

LOTS of new records are available, including some sweet JONNY CAT RECORDS releases you probably won’t find anywhere else, some rare shit like a square shaped CLOROX GIRLS 7″ from back in the day (ltd. 200!) and other goodies by great labels from all over the punk globe.

www.takenbysurprise.net/shop

If you have any trouble ordering just email me at info@takenbysurprise.net

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DISTRIBUTION!

We deal direct, email to info@takenbysurprise.net for a complete wholesale list, including records from some other great labels like SABOTAGE, GRAVE MISTAKE, etc.

You can also get our records from the the nice people at:

DAY AFTER RECORDS (Czech Republic)
SOUNDS OF SUBTERRANIA (Germany)
PUNK DISTRO (Germany)
CARGO RECORDS (Germany)
SONIC RENDEZVOUS (Benelux)

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That’s it for this edition of the punk o’clock news. Enjoy your spring and see you at the Springsteen show in Hannover on May 28th!

NO SURRENDER!

Michl