Posts by Ryan Dillon

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 […]

Refreshing folk trio Big Thief has gone from one of the genre’s most beloved members to a global, experimental force. What started as raw intimacy has blossomed into daring, folksy ventures that are warm and inviting. The band’s true range emerged on their monstrous 2022 LP, Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You, the […]

The post-punk genre has been enjoying a revival recently, and the youthful band shame has been at the forefront of this exciting movement. With a natural knack for live performance and an undeniable discography that stamps them as a force of nature from the beginning, the London-based five-piece have become poster children for this new […]

August is waving to us in the rearview mirror as we venture into what is slated to be a busy Autumn. As we drive away from August, we notice the last month of Summer left us a present in the backseat, something to remember it by. As you unwrap this gift, you realize it is […]

Last week, we spent a lovely Golden Age Thursday looking through the connective tissue between skateboarding and punk rock, and this week we continue that deep dive with another Oxnard-bred hardcore outfit. Agression, one of the leaders of the Nardcore movement, was formed by vocalist Mark Hickey, guitarist Henry Knowles, and bassist Bob Clark. While […]

Anna Tivel has always maintained a singular presence in the burgeoning modern folk scene, but that has not stopped the singer-songwriter from landing in the blinding light of critics’ and fans’ attention. Since her 2014 debut, and especially since her output has reached a prolific level since 2019, Tivel has been thrust into the center […]

2025 has tested the limits of our new music processors over here at the smoky old Caustic factory, but over time, it has never shied us away from a hard day’s work. We are firing on all cylinders over here to keep up with the avalanche of impressive releases that seem to be never-ending as […]

There comes a time when every genre takes its turn in the blinding spotlight of pop culture. Currently, we are seeing country overtake Hip-hop on top of the charts, but there was a time when even the most niche, aggressive, raw underground music you can find lands in the binoculars of the Billboard chart. If […]

There are plenty of ties between punk rock and Hip-hop. The anti-authoritarian aggression, the raw energy, thought-provoking, fearless lyrics, but above all, skateboarding continues as a connective tissue between these two worlds. The connection between skate culture and punk rock dates back to the start of the genre itself, with the California punk movement being […]

Believe it or not, 2025 marked two years since songstress Laufey landed on everybody’s radar. The landmark, critically acclaimed release of 2023’s Bewitched intoxicated the world with the artist’s moody, hazy, jazzy approach to the modern soul revival, and spawned an instrumental and deluxe version of the modern monster. Laufey’s 2022 debut and her breakthrough […]

Throughout the past few years, more specifically since 2019, modern-day lo-fi indie rock icon Mac DeMarco has stayed on the quieter side. While the past few years have included instrumental releases and collections of demos and rough drafts, the internet’s favorite guitar-wielding multi-hyphenate hasn’t released a straightforward album since 2019’s Here Comes the Cowboy. The […]

It was a bitterly cold and stormy night on February 2, 1959. The residents of Clear Lake, Iowa, had no other option than to escape indoors for some relief from Winter’s fierce presence, and there was one event everyone was scrambling to get to. That brisk night, the Surf Ballroom was welcoming music legends Buddy […]

As the mid-August sun turns the average day into a blistering journey into thick humidity, this week’s blazing New Music Friday attempts to outdo the weather with a stellar list of fresh releases. This week’s Caustic is jam-packed with fresh releases ranging from refreshing, psychedelic tendencies to danceable, infectious instrumentation. Everything from left-field punk to […]

If it weren’t for the typical tribulations that plagued punk bands, such as constant lineup changes and a lack of money and business sense, Rich Kids On LSD had all the makings of punk icons. All that said, the legacy left behind by this California outfit is far from one to ignore, and if there […]

Throughout the past 15 years, Pile has woven a web that ties the loose ends of post-punk, indie rock, and experimentation together in a knot that would make Henry Rollins proud. All the while, Pile never abandoned the DIY ethos that made them the band they are, keeping a prolific release schedule intact with six […]

At this point in her career, singer/songwriter Mae Powell is on the verge of a major breakthrough. After stunning the world with her powerful songwriting and wistful vocals on her 2021 debut, Both Ways Brighter, it was clear the young artist contained multitudes. By tackling socio-political topics and personal emotions alike, Powell was able to […]

These final Summer days seem to be flying by, as it only seems like yesterday we were celebrating the start of August with some fresh releases. A week into the month, and the Caustic Factory is blowing smoke out of chimneys and revving up our machinery for an exhilarating New Music Friday. For this week, […]

Sick of It All is a remarkable alumnus of the New York City hardcore movement for several reasons. One is the longevity they’ve enjoyed, touring up until the summer of 2024, when frontman Lou Koller announced his diagnosis with an esophageal tumor, and releasing fresh LPs up until 2018. Another reason, and possibly the most […]

There has been a lot of commotion, both exciting and concerning, happening in the modern soul music pantheon. While this revivalist movement has gifted us some criminally smooth and unforgettable records, the concern stems from a lack of innovation. At this point, the modern soul movement has become somewhat overpopulated with nostalgic purists, which is […]

The last official month of Summer has finally arrived, and it is a sad and joyous occasion all at once. While waving goodbye to summer indicates the end of ice cream cones and long vacations, it is also the chance to start anew, to rejuvenate in the solace of the sun one last time before […]