“Failed States” - Propagandhi

Propagandhi are back. The angry thrash-punk quartet from Canada are set to follow up 2009’s masterpiece of dark satire and fury (applicable to every Propagandhi release) with their Epitaph Records (!) debut Failed States (a title that is so very much a Propagandhi title). Judging by the two-minute, Chris Hannah-vocaled title track [link], Propagandhi continue to change while remaining just the same, getting better with age while maintaining all those things we love about them - unrelenting pieces of punk mania (yet also some toned-down, resonant moments of calmer consideration - see the album trailer [link]), sharp wit, and a great intelligence paired with the ability to see the bigger picture. 

This is a lot of news all at once from a band that has been fairly quiet for a while now. With Todd presumably back in good health, a North American tour with Comeback Kid has been announced [link], numerous pre-order options have been made available [link] (I suppose I should finally go full vegan before buying the “Vegan Invaders” shirt), and even a blog post that contains a 2012 joke that actually doesn’t seem trite. Most importantly, though, a definite contender for the best album of the year finally has a release date - September 4th is my new favorite day on the calendar. 

- Tyler Hanan