Posts by Ryan Dillon

The idea of a consensus amongst a large group of people feels more like a fantasy than something we’ll ever see in person. Even outside of the phony socio-political arguments that flood your social media feed every time you decide to check an app, the large-scale music distribution platform that is the internet may be […]

You can call them Bags, The Bags, Alice Bag Band, or simply call them exactly what they are, one of the pioneering bands of the Southern California punk movement. The band was founded in 1977 by Alicia Armendariz and Patricia Morrison, who initially formed their own band, Femme Fatale, before teaming up with Kim Fowley […]

Over the past few years, Nashville DIY punk heroes Snooper have experienced the transition from young hopefuls to rising stars. With the release of their stellar debut album, 2023’s Super Snõõper, the frenetic chemistry between co-bandleaders Blair Tramel and Connor Cummins burst onto the modern punk scene, forcing their peers and critics alike to stop […]

It is hard to believe this is the last Caustic of September; it feels like it all just started yesterday. As we wave goodbye to an exhilarating month of new releases, the month isn’t going out on a soft note, quite the opposite, actually. This week’s New Music Friday is an action-packed summer blockbuster where […]

In 2019, New York-based multi-instrumentalist Cochemea set out on a trilogy of albums. The first, All My Relations, proved to be an eclectic collection of free-form jazz, whose tropes crumbled under the pressure of the musician’s ambitions. With Vol. 2: Baca Sewa, Cochemea focused on deep percussion swings, adding streaks of wind instruments to produce […]

The community of hardcore punk is a loud and proud one. Looking at old footage from the genre’s infancy showcases crowds of teenagers slamming into each other to indecipherable music, at least that’s what the uneducated see. A more keen eye views these classic videos as a tribe of like-minded individuals bolstering the singularity of […]

Getting Killed, the third studio album from post-punk indie rockers Geese, is a pivotal release for the young band, marking the beginning of a vein that could carry the blood of their artistry to the artery. After cementing themselves as modern-day sonic trapeze artist with releases like the aggressively twangy 3D Country, and vocalist Cameron […]

Ambition is a dangerous beast to attempt to tame. The unforgiving thrusts of the sensation can shoot someone down a dark hole, or toss a person into the blinding light of fulfillment and wonder. Ambition has been the fall of empires, but it has also led to some of the most inspiring and heartfelt stories […]

The engines have been cleaned and fueled as the old Caustic Factory prepares for an action-packed New Music Friday. Our assembly lines have been tireless, turning out collections of fresh releases all year long, but we had to call in the heavy artillery for this week. September has been phenomenal for the music-obsessed, and it […]

Golden Apples, the expansive, folksy project from Philadelphia, centered around Russell Edling, is entering an exciting transition period. What started as a lone venture from Edling has flourished into a whole collective that is slowly becoming one of their city’s brightest young stars, cloaking the jagged, sprawling music culture with a blanket quilted from warm […]

T.S.O.L., like any memorable punk band, has gone through its fair share of controversies. From frontman Jack Grisham’s addiction issues plaguing the earlier days of the band, and a lineup that shifted several times throughout their career, especially during their run in the 80s, The Sounds of Liberty’s legacy has survived through inner turmoil and […]

Atmosphere, the Hip-hop duo of producer Ant and vocalist/writer Slug, has reached yet another milestone in their illustrious career. After not only establishing themselves, but also their now-iconic independent label Rhymesayers Entertainment, as pivotal and forward-thinking members of the early 2000s Hip-hop scene, a gritty movement to juxtapose the artsy flash that was compiling in […]

As Wednesday, one of the more exciting rock bands to emerge in the 2020s, entered their latest album, the band was surrounded by a whole lot of noise. With guitarist MJ Lenderman’s solo career skyrocketing to new heights, the critical buzz built by the band’s 2023 album, and interpersonal romantic relationships coming to a close, […]

Modern hardcore icons turned pop culture sensation Turnstile is fresh off the release of their long-awaited follow-up to their breakthrough effort. After capturing the attention of fans from across genres and eras with their intricate fusion work on 2021’s GLOW ON, the Baltimore-bred band took its time with its follow-up, and it was worth every […]

The summer heat seems to be sticking around for a bit longer, and the season’s hot streak of fantastic releases doesn’t seem to be slowing down either. As we enter a seasonal transition period, it is essential to stay grounded, and the consistency these New Music Fridays have maintained is just the remedy. This week, […]

When you think of hardcore punk from Washington, D.C., one of the first things that comes to mind is Dischord Records. The illustrious label helped publish and cement one of the most exciting cultural movements in music history, and its list of accolades and discography continues to stand as a monument to the 1980s hardcore […]

Bass Drum of Death, the lo-fi garage rock project centered around singer/multi-instrumentalist John Barrett, has hit an interesting crossroads in their creative career. With five acclaimed albums, major song placements in massive video games, and a newfound, more collaborative recording process, Barrett’s solo brainchild has the cult-like following and critical love that any band could […]

A lot can be conveyed through minimal movement. A simple raised eyebrow shot towards a comment can showcase a lack of trust, an involuntary smile can highlight the love between people, and an acoustic, lyric-driven ballad can encapsulate an entire life’s journey. The closest most of us will get to a conversation with an artist […]

The months of Summer have come and gone, but the music released during the inescapable heat of a brutal summer will last much longer than any sunburn picked up over the long weekend. We here at Caustic hope everyone had a safe and relaxing holiday, but it’s time to get back to business. We’re kicking […]

It was the summer of 1985, and there was an energy bubbling over from the country’s capital. Washington, D.C. is not a stranger to producing iconic punk bands, be it Minor Threat or Bad Brains, but in the mid-eighties, there was a shift happening. The hardcore legends had begun to dwindle, and the Revolution Summer […]