Best of 2023: Zines
Literate dunces, alive and well.
Around 2008 or so it seemed like everyone was pasting together some sorta punk or hardcore zine. Not always readable rags, they still weren’t things that I took for granted. And after this few year groundswell, the shit went dry. The last decade’s been a pretty dismal span for physical zines. There’s always been the occasional scribe laying down some truth, but never on the level of the five years prior. Fast forward to 2023 and there’s practically an avalanche of solid shit coming out (I didn’t even touch on all the film zines popping up). Through the zines mentioned below there’s a wide variety of music covered, all with their own vibes. All I can say is that it’s a great time to be a diehard zine fan. Who knows, maybe this is the year I jump back in the cut and paste game.
Here ya go. The best music zines of 2023.
Silent Command is the latest endeavor of former Writer’s Block and Caught In Flux writer Mike Appelstein. Top notch to the point writing combined with top shelf taste in post-punk and indie-pop. He’s a vet in the game and it shows.
Speaking of zine vets, Jay Hinman’s got a resume dating back to the 80’s, alongside Appelstein. Superdope shined a light on the rawest of punk and garage rumblings of the day as well as touting past greats stuck under rocks. During the blog era, Hinman had the stellar Agony Shorthand and Detailed Twang picking up where Superdope left off. Dynamite Hemorrhage and Film Hemorrhage are his latest (greatest?) hits. Still plumbing the sub-underground, Hinman’s Dynamite Hemorrhage is on the pulse of off-center punk while Film Hemorrhage digs into his cinematic predilections. Impeccable taste, I tell ya (err, told ya in like three past posts).
There’s always that one hardcore zine that brings the attitude. With so much back patting across the board, there’s added value in honest critique. Why cover something you don’t like? Cuz lots of shit sucks. Balance. Scott Kilcoyne’s Mundane Moshers carries on the tradition of Town of Hardcore and Chunks —no bullshit, just the best in what’s going on in hardcore today.
Around 2011 I spent a lot of time hanging out in Chicago. I was at the peak of my Milwaukee-hating days. Val was always in or around the circle of people I was hanging out with. Ignorant People does a great job of representing Val’s voice. Her big personality comes across in a fun way. Not goofy, though. I hate goofiness in hardcore. It’s a safe bet that this is the only hardcore zine with articles discussing Union jobs and skin care products. She’s carved out her own spot within the niche world of hardcore.
General Speech has been around a while and always looks stunning and sheds light on some corner of hardcore that most of us have never stalked into. I initially missed out on the subscriber only supplemental issues but bought them all at once. Half-sized and less polished, the issues capture the same spirit as the full sizers. With some issues as short as eight pages of cut and paste glory, they’re still overflowing with the punk and hardcore obscurities that we’ve come to expect from the zine.
Core of Reality is hands down one of the best looking zines around. I’m guessing it’s not Matt Woods’ first venture into the publishing game. Clevo-centric interviews with Shaun Filley, Tom Brose, Casey Kulas, and Chris Erba all deliver the goods. High quality interviews with Grand Scheme, Cooch, and Keith Freeman prove that it’s not all about Cleveland’s Glory (which there are many if you’re a hardcore fetishist). A high quality zine all around. Two stacked issues so far. Looking forward to the next one.
Stink Bug is a nice looking zine out of Wapella, Illinois, population 513. Can’t remember where I got it and I’m unable to find much info online. Latest issue has an interview with Hardware editor Dave Koenig about Life’s Blood as well as Squirrel Bait and Lip Cream interviews from 1987. Great read, solid layout. What else do you need?
We’ve covered the topic of Hexarc previously on BBR. In fact, excerpt from our interview appear in the latest issue and future issues will bring more contributions. Out of the gates, Hexarc leaned on local Delaware coverage, which is great cuz no one’s really doing that. I couldn’t have named a single band if I hadn’t interviewed Max. The zine’s got a very crisp and focused layout. Right up there with Core of Reality in the upper echelon. Solid writing throughout. They’ve expanded in pages and size throughout the first 3 issues. I know Max has ideas of where to take it, so let’s wait impatiently for the next one. All signs from the first three point to it being a good ‘un.
Blast Of Power is a self proclaimed “Dumb Punk & Hardcore Zine.” So ya know, the best kind of both those worlds. Issue 2 was a 4-page tiny text scamper, but Issue 3 is a full sized cut and paste venture. The article on hardcore’s use of brickwalls in art is something I wish I’d thought of. Gotta applaud Mike on that one!
Can’t remember where I heard of Hallogallo Fanzine. Reminds me of the positive aspects of 90’s zines. The inside cover lays down the declaration of what they’re about. There’s a real “anyone can contribute” vibe while still keeping the quality up, which is a real tightrope to walk. Interviews with Laetitia Sadier of Stereolab and Jill Kossoris of The Shivvers are the draw. Both great reads.
The initial issue of Damaged In Transit is a stark minimalist photo zine. Not sure if there’s still issues floating around, but they’re a thing of beauty in you can catch a glance. Page after page of live shots unpolluted by text. Head over to Instagram with requests so we’ll get a second issue.
There we go. Music zines I highly enjoyed in 2023. I can pretty much guarantee there’s something I’m forgetting. There’s some bad zines as well, but at least they’re doing it. I’m just relying on the internet to do the heavy lifting for my words. Follow the links above and track these down and keep an ear to the ground for their future issues. While you’re at it, start your own zine.