I decided I'll post my newsletters here. If you want to be added to the list, let me know. If you think this is stoopid, feel free to call me names.
Hey there cretins,
Second newsletter in a year. It's a matter of time before I'll catch up with the amount of content your favorite platform supplies. Soon Don't Buy Records will nibble at your life with shorts and reels, slowly eating away your time, second by second, minute by minute, hour by hour without you noticing at all. By the time you realize, it'll be too late!
I'm scouting big breasted women and muscled handsome men to promote my releases at the time of this writing and will underscore the urgency of every bit of information I'll sling onto the world wide web from now on to make sure your attention will be seized and kept. War, famine, death, disease! The end is near, but you can all still BUY stuff. That is if the titles are not sold out! Snoozer losers. Buy now or be sorry later! Nothing but must-haves and instant classics here, boys and girls.
Horseshit...
Don't Buy Records news: the Minneapolis connect
During my holiday in Italy at the end of May I have been able to set up a new connect in the States to help me out with shipping records in bulk across the Atlantic in Andy. Some of you might remember him as the singer of the Formaldehyde Junkies and guy behind Fashionable Idiots Records. I'm really happy he's offered to help me out. I've been in contact with Andy on and off from my early days in hardcore punk. I remember writing him about the Out With A Bang 7"s he released back when those came out. Those records still rule by the way as do those 2 Formaldehyde Junkies Ep's. Those releases came out in 2005, boys and girls, but good music is good music is good music. I'd argue a lot of the Fashionable Idiots catalogue holds up actually. The drawing of the kid stabbing himself in the head that Andy used to have up on his website, always stuck with me as one of the coolest drawings I've come across in punk. Simple, but great not unlike Limited Appeal's logo. These are the kind of things I wish I had come up with myself, but alas.
So from now on everything I order on the American continent is shipped to Minneapolis instead of North Carolina. My gratitude to Sorry State and others who have helped me out in the past is great. Without them I could not offer US releases for affordable prices. I hope the new Minneapolis connect will prove to be as fruitful and fun as the ones before.
Don't Buy Records is an anachronism
An interview with yours truly, which has been in the making for several years has been published here: https://www.scenepointblank.com/features/music/post-office-experiences/lammie-dont-buy-records/. Read it or don't. If it makes you snicker, great!
Interesting about doing this interview was that it made me realize how much doing the mailorder, how much my whole life changed over the period it took to get the text published online. You only realize what's been going on if you take time to give things some thought, but who's got time for reflection?
So what changed on the mailorder front? I think people used to find out about Don't Buy Records through the internet, googling titles I offered back when I started out. You couldn't find much about De Hoje Haele on the internet so browsing for that band would lead you to my blog. Things no longer work that way. At this point people ordering records from me either found Don't Buy Records back then or heard of it from someone who did at the time.
In this sense Don't Buy Records has become an anachronism. On the one hand that's because I never got on board with the socials and do zero promotion, but on the other I think it is because the generation of punks that came after mine has been weaned culturally by these socials more than anything else. For them buying records, tapes and zines seems largely redundant. 'Everything' can be found on the web for free now.
It seems to me that one of the things that have been lost over the years is the direct contact between the artist and the 'fan'. Back in the 80's and early 90's it was still common for fans and artists to exchange thoughts through correspondence. Kurt Cobain wrote letters to his underground idols and they would actually write him back. At an even more grassroot level, the Big Boys would encourage kids to start their own band on stage. The message was do something and/or make something. Not to be great, but for the sake of it.
Arguably the process of losing direct contact was already in motion when I tuned in around 2005, but at the time I would bands from Chicago to Mexico actual letters to get a copy of their demo tape after reading a good review in Maximum Rock 'n Roll's demo section. Some would send their tapes to me for free. Yecatl from Los Inservibles for example shipped that band's first two cassettes from Mexico to the Netherlands without charging me any money, which was super cool to me at the time and seems almost unthinkable today. I remember ordering the first White Lung Ep from Hockey Dad Records and thinking it was so cool that Ryan had written 'Thanks Lammie' on a piece of cardboard. Again, small and simple things, but things that meant something to me. I felt part of the action.
I don't want to make this an old man's rant, but it would be ridiculous to say things haven't changed since the late '70's or 2005. Kids today have been exploring punk in a completely different way than I have. There's still common ground, but the roads to the territory have been very different, creating a different frame of reference, a different discourse and arguably a different language as well. I've cynically called myself 'punk rock enterpreneur' and 'hardcore influencer' to people younger than myself and was shocked to see they missed the joke. That is a good illustration of the difference of perspective. This can be alienating at times, but it's the common ground we should keep the focus on.
A young punk asked me the other day how many orders I have a month. I answered I was not keeping score. 'Closer to 1 or to a 100?', he asked. Definitely closer to 1, haha. There's no need to ridicule the kid, but I think it's funny that he would think it's an option to handle a 100 orders or more a month next to a full time job. There is a handful of labels and mailorders that are working that kind of numbers. I take my hat off to them, but wouldn't want to switch places. That has never been something I strived for, never been something I chased.
I think this kid's perspective illustrates how people in 2026 are consumers before anything else. In a consumer's world, Don't Buy Records is business, a niche Amazon. In a consumer's world Don't Buy Records is unsuccessful, arguably a failure. However, Don't Buy Records is not a business. The measure of success that capitalism prescribes is not one I want Don't Buy Records to be measured with.. Maybe it is an anti-business?
New releases
Let me raise the curtain for the voyeurs amongst you. Since my last newsletter I spend over 1500 euros on new stock, all titles I hadn't listed on my blog until today. That's bad shopkeeping, but it's how I roll. Lots of cool new stuff. The Sealed titles all look and sound great of course. I'm particularly stoked about the Rudimentary Peni reissues, because to me that is a one of a kind band. Nick Blinko's artwork is great and part of the band's story in my opinion as is his psychiatric history. I have no trouble calling Cacophony a classic despite hating that term. Blinko singing 'I'm a little girl' in 'The Only Child' is maybe the most demented and twisted line in a punk song I know. The whole record is a wild ride, but why am I telling you this? You should already know.
Whilst ordering from Paco I was finally able to get some copies of the latest Unidad Ideologica album. I saw this band live a few years ago and they were devastating. Their previous 12" was one of my favorite hardcore releases in recent memory and the 'new' one is as destructive. It comes with the highest recommendation. The Station Model Violence Lp is an interesting record. Definitely a grower. It's cool to hear Daniel on vocals again. In Station Model Violence he has Buz Clatworthy of R.M.F.C. next to him as a songwriter. The result is something else than Total Control, but those who loved that band should definitely give this record a shot. I also gave Homefront another shot, because I know people love them, but unfortunatey I can't get into them. Can bands please just start working with flesh and blood drummers and shed these horrible '80's influences. What's next? A Baywatched themed hardcore band? I know the guys in Homefront are lifers and I'm sure they are great guys with their hearts in the right place, but their music ain't for me. To each his own. Don't my opinion keep you from ordering Homefront's most recent 12" however. Other people think it's great.
Hardcorewise Listerine and Guimauve should be mentioned. Both bands hail from France and play traditional straightforward 80's inspired USHC. France is not known for producing great hardcore bands - apparently they're great at oi, but I don't care - but these two 12"s are cool and a 100% DIY and therefor deserve your support. Also from France is Subtle Turnhips, an artpunk band that largely remains under people's radar, but is very good. Septentinoriel is probably their seventh album. That's what the title implies anyway. Subtle Turnhips's riff orientation has once made me compare them to the Brainbombs, who they don't sound like at all yet the second song on this album is called 'Brainbombs'. The singer mockingly repeats in it that it is 'another Brainbombs song'. Should I take offence? Let me know. Regardless, Subtle Turnhips have a sound that's entirely their own, maybe garage no-wave is fitting. Cool shit although not easily digestable.
The Sheaves latest album has me think of early the Fall. At this time the reader should know that I love the Fall. Does that mean I want to hear a band that sounds like early the Fall in 2026? It turns out I do. Well written minimalist post-punk with hooks. What's not to like? Cool band. Their previous 12" is worth checking out too.
Upset the Rhythm send me their latest four releases. More musical experimentation from Earthball. I'm a sucker for this kind of stuff, but it's not for the faint of heart. If you're looking for a song to hum along to, you're better off with the other UTR titles. Both Dog Chocolate and Season 2 have pop sensibilities. Dog Chocolate is sarcastic, Season 2 dreamy. Both bands are perfect fits for the label. Chris can be proud of the fact that one can expect a release on his label worth checking out. Few labels are that consistent. He also released a double Lp by Olympia, Washington's Gun Outfit. I had no idea this band was still around, but after almost 10 years of silence here is a double album with no less than 19 new songs. Gun Outfit comes from the scene around Perennial Records, which produced some solid hardcore records as well as interesting meandering dreamy music. Gun Outfit exist in the same tradition as Broken Water, Sisters and later Ribbon Stage, not Son Skull, White Boss and Nasti, but all these bands come from the same scene. the scene once covered by Ben in the late great Nuts zine.
Speaking of zines, I printed Max's latest issue of Barely Human for European takers. It's typewriter written rambling on the state of punk today. I have exchanges with Max on the Total Punk forum sometimes. Smart guy with an intersting perspective on things. Punks who think punk is more than just music, take note. I still have some copies of his anti-history book for those interested as well. Reading is the shit so why not get a copy?
Here's a list with the most recent titles and links to the songs. Let me know if there's anything you fancy or just say hi.
12"s
- Bikini Mutants - Let's Mutate Lp (Sealed) (20):
- Dog Chocolate - So Inspired, So Done In Lp (Upset the Rhythm) (15):
- Earthball - Actual Earth Music - Vol. 3 & 4 Lp (Upset the Rhythm) (15):
- Guimauve - Effrondrement Lp (Les Disques Mauvais Garcons) (15):
- Gun Outfit - Process and Reality 2xLp (Upset the Rhythm) (20):
- Homefront - Watch it Die Lp (La Vida Es Un Mus) (20):
- Listerine - Lp (La France Pue) (15):
- Rudimentary Peni - The E.P.'s of R.P. Lp (Sealed) (20):
- Rudimentary Peni - Cacophony Lp (Sealed) (20):
- Rudimentary Peni - Pope Adrian 37th Psychiatric Lp (Sealed) (20):
- Season 2 - Power of Now Lp (Upset the Rhythm) (15):
- The Sheaves - A Salve For Institution Lp (SDZ) (15):
- Subtle Turnhips - Septentionoriel Lp (SDZ) (15):
- Unidad Ideologica - Choque Asimétrico 12" (20):
- Yleiset Sytt - Saitte Mitä Halusitte 12" (La Vida Es Un Mus, Sorry State) (20):
7"s
- Nog Watt - Fear Ep (Final Dooms Day) (10):
- Rutto - El Paluuta Ep (Final Dooms Day) (10):
- Rutto - Ilmastoitu Painajainen Ep (Final Dooms Day) (10):
Zines
- Barely Human (May 2026) (5)
Thanks for making it to the end.
Later,
Lammie
