An incendiary debut album from the Los Angeles anarcho-punks!
We can’t get enough anarcho-punk lately. It was just the other day that we witnessed Subhumans play a raucous gig in London, and now, right on cue, arrives the debut album from Los Angeles crew Gottlieb. They’ve been described as “a politically driven band blending post-punk tension with the ferocity of classic hardcore”, and that sits just fine with us.
From the moment the alarm-like guitar line of the opening ‘Pipe Bomb’ kicks in, the sense of urgency is almost palpable. Imagine the anarcho-punk sound of Crass fused with the angular hardcore of Refused, and you’ll have a rough idea of where Gottlieb are at musically. We especially like the way ‘American Blood’ utterly rages throughout its two minutes, and also recent single ‘I Started Carrying A Knife Today’; the latter is addictive as hell, with its schizophrenic guitar work and impassioned vocals from frontman Andrew Pescara.
They throw the occasional curveball, such as the surprisingly groovesome ‘Dogs Pt 1 (Joy To Distract From Resistance)’, which seems to be custom built to get people moving, and is sure to be a future live favourite. Closing track ‘Sugar Packets‘ is also something of a surprise; the longest track here, starting off with a kind of post-punk sound before building into a hardcore belter.
Whether taking aim at the pressure today’s youth face on ‘Optimized Child’, decrying police and ICE violence on ‘White Vans’, or raging against the oppression of the working class on ‘What Are You Worth?’, they’re never less than convincing. At less than half an hour long, ‘The Far Fallen Fruit’ doesn’t outstay its welcome, and comes across more as a musical mission statement than as a mere record. This is music to shake people out of complacency – and for that, Gottlieb, we salute you.
‘The Far Fallen Fruit’ is out on May 1st – pre-order it HERE.
Main Photo Credit: ALEX WEBSTER
- Pipe Bomb
- What Are You Worth
- American Blood
- Dogs Pt 1 (Joy To Distract From Resistance)
- City On The Hill
- Optimized Child
- Dogs Pt 2 (The Far Fallen Fruit)
- I Started Carrying A Knife Today
- White Vans
- Sugar Packets
Follow Gottlieb on Their Socials:
Need more Punk In Your Life?
Album review: Southpaw FLHC – ‘The Standard’
So much of the best hardcore is born of struggle, and Southpaw FLHC are a case in point. The penultimate spoken-word title track on ‘The
Live review: Emily Flea, Spit Sisters, Not The Face!, & Yur Mum at The Pipeline, Brighton, 18/07/26
A fun and successful benefit gig at Brighton’s newly community-owned venue The Pipeline, to benefit charities Refuge and Mermaids, starring Emily Flea, Spit Sisters, Not
EP review: Dead Dates ‘Rebellion in Blackpool’ – Three Songs, Three Stories, One Honest Punk Rock Statement
Dead Dates formed in 2022 in Düsseldorf, led by Marcus “Opa” Haefs, who has been in numerous bands. New EP consists of just three tracks
Album review: Hank Deadwood: Ian Lowery – Unreleased and Re-imagined Vol 1 and 2
Now this is an interesting release – a collection of songs based on snatches of ideas the late Folk Devils singer Ian Lowery had recorded
Album Review: Active Slaughter have their say on new 10-inch release on Grow Your Own Records
Active Slaughter have never been a band to mince their words, and this mini album ‘You Bastards!’ is no exception. If you think punk rock
Album review: Lueur remind us about ‘Half of Humanity’
Sélestat punk quintet Lueur released their album ‘Half of Humanity’ on 18th June 2026 with 15 tracks of fun (essential to the spirit of the
I spend my days teaching English to foreign students, and my evenings attending as many gigs as possible. Raised mainly on a diet of 90s third-wave punk, my tastes have grown to include just about anything from trad ska to thrash metal. The Ramones are my musical gods.
Did you know that we are 100% DIY? We run our own game. No one dictates to us, and no one drives what we can or cannot put on our pages – and this is how we plan to continue!
