Punk Rock Record Reviews: The Best of 2026, Part Five.

Punk RockRecord ReviewCommentary
Written By Paul Holstein

I listen primarily to punk, with my preferred subgenre being street punk. Speed rock, garage, skate punk, hardcore, pop punk, oi!, ska, grindcore, crust punk, mincecore, psychobilly and even rockabilly fit the bill if done right. If I can catch a live show, it gives the release an edge. Here are a few releases from 2026 that I recommend you check out. These are in no particular order; however, I’m only reviewing releases that are in contention for the best release of the year. If I’m reviewing it, I liked it. When the New Year rolls around, I’ll put them in order and do a final article of the best of the best. Drop a comment at the bottom if there is a 2025 release you think I should check out; I most definitely will.

Commitment "Fear Of"
Released: April 3, 2026
Format: Vinyl LP, digital download
Label: Get Better Records
From: Philadelphia, PA
Photo of the album cover that is being reviewed.

I'm still kicking myself for missing their show at Tenacity Brewing in Detroit last year, but I'm following them now and hopefully won't miss the next one. Their 2025 demo made my top 10 releases of the year, with "Send The Deposit" and "Pluto In Aquarius" being two of my favorite songs of the year. We get updated versions of both of those songs, with "Send The Deposit" renamed to "STD," along with the rest of the EP and a slew of new hardcore masterpieces. I wish there were lyrics on the Bandcamp page, but for the most part I'm following along. They are self-described as anti-Imperialist hardcore. The hardcore part of that is no joke, and I can't stress enough how cool it is that they have multiple songs under a minute. "Hall Of Meat," "Lickback," "Bada Bing!", "Fear Of" got added to my master playlist. Fans of G.L.O.S.S.,Bad Beat, Speed Plans, Anklebiter, Slutbomb, Terror.

Codefendants "Lifers"
Released: April 03, 2026
Format: Vinyl LP, digital download
Label: This Is Crime Wave / Regime Music Group
From: Berkeley, California
Photo of the album cover that is being reviewed.

Given that NOFX has always been my favorite band, any band affiliated with Fat Mike is going to get my attention. Even though The Codefendants are a mix of hip-hop and the lighter side of punk rock (and I'm more into hardcore and street punk), their 2025 album "This Is Crime Wave," and especially the track "Suicide By Pigs," was one of my favorite albums of that year. I got to see them live several times, including at one of the best shows of my lifetime when they opened for NOFX on their final tour and Ceschi joined them for "The Decline." Vocalist Sam King is also in Get Dead, which is a great band in their own right. This album is exactly what I expected. "The Fix" appropriates a few lines from the classic song “(I’m Not Your) Steppin’ Stone." "The Weatherman" is sung partly in Spanish and has a Latin sound; "Ditch The Party" opens with piano and crosses the 4:00 minute mark; and "Rivals" has a guest appearance from hip-hop artist The D.O.C. None of these are dealbreakers for me, but I would trade it all for just one fast song, under a minute, with maybe some screaming and expletives. Of course that's just me. All that being said, I'm still reviewing this, which means that I liked it. Fat Mike's occasional vocals and obvious input on the songwriting and the extremely catchy "Lonely Life" and "The Right Wrong Man" were the highlights for me. They are also extremely good live, which doesn't hurt. Thumbs up, and I continue to be a fan as I wait for faster, crazier songs in the future. Fans of NOFX, Get Dead, Days N Daze, and those punk rockers that don't mind folk punk or a little hip-hop mixed in will love this. "Can't say I'm okay without you. It's a lonely life. Something's gonna break inside. If I don't find the strength inside to say goodbye" is now going to be stuck in my head just when I finally stopped singing "Turning pipe dreams into pipe bombs with you."

Grade 2 "Talk About It"
Released: April 3, 2026
Format: Vinyl LP, CD, digital download
Label: Hellcat Records
From: Ryde, UK
Photo of the album cover that is being reviewed.

I first heard Grade 2 a few years back when they played a club show during Punk Rock Bowling in Las Vegas. They had the look and sound of an Oi! band and did a great cover of The Misfits' "Where Eagles Dare." Their first album on Hellcat Records was in 2019 ("Graveyard Island"), and I picked that up right away (check out "Don't Look Back" and "On The Radar"). Their follow-up in 2023 was a self-titled album that was nearly as good, and "Talk About It" continues with more of the same. My usual critique applies; not quite fast and angry enough for me in general. "Crash and Burn" and "Rotten" pick up the pace, and I love that only one song crosses 3 minutes and three are under 2. Fans will continue to be fans, and I do like this, but I'm really hoping in the future they have at least a couple faster, angrier songs, which it feels like they would kill. Fans of The Drowns, The Briggs, Lars Frederiksen and the Bastards, Rancid.

Grippers "Disobedient Mental Attitude"
Released: February 6, 2026
Format: Vinyl LP, CD, digital download
Label: Potencial Hardcore
From: Madrid, Spain
Photo of the album cover that is being reviewed.

Guest vocals from Aimee Interrupter (The Interrupters) makes perfect sense. This is super catchy pop punk, with great artwork, and I liked it immediately. Female vocals with more singing than screaming, but they bring speed and anger at times. They have a full sound for a three-piece, and this is well produced (but not overproduced). It looks like they have been around for 10 years, with their first release ("Addiction") in 2016, their second ("Complicity Is A Weapon") in 2024, and this being their third. "Revolution" and "Spit In Your Face" were my favorites and my picks for my current playlist. Fans of Rancid, The Interrupters, The Distillers, Teen Idols, Lars Frederiksen and The Bastards, The Ramones.

Noi!Se "Fate of the Union"
Released: April 3, 2206
Format: Vinyl LP, digital download
Label: Pirates Press/Coretex Records
From: Seattle, Washington
Photo of the album cover that is being reviewed.

Streetpunk/Oi! that is a little on the melodic side of streetpunk for me (I like my streetpunk screaming, fast, and angry), but perfect for a combination of streetpunk and Oi! They do pick up the speed at times, and it's worth waiting for. Well produced and undeniably catchy, I actually know them for their song "Idle Action," which they re-recorded and added to this album. They have been around for over 15 years, and in addition to a slew of singles and EPs, they also have three prior albums (if you like this one, you should check them all out). "Vast Contrast," "Fate of The Union," "Blinded By Hatred" (the closest they get to hardcore), and the updated "Idle Action" were my favorites and went right to my current playlist. Fans of The 4-Skins, Blitz, The Partisans, The Drowns, Violent Way, Oil!, Takers & Users.

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Dropkick Murphys / Haywire 617 "New England Forever"
Released: February 9, 2026
Format: Vinyl LP, digital download
Label: Dummy Luck Music
From: Quincy, MA
Photo of the album cover that is being reviewed.

"Calling all Americans of below-average intelligence. Power Hungry Scumbags, Apply Today!" "Citizen I.C.E." is probably my favorite song this year so far. I don't think I've ever used the word "synergy" in a punk rock record review, but it applies here more than ever before. I love Dropkick Murphys (check out "The Dirty Glass," "Bar Room Hero," "Rose Tattoo," "Middle Finger," "Heroes From Our Past," "The Gauntlet"). I've seen them many times live (going back to early Vans Warped Tour festivals and club shows), and their "The Season's Upon Us" is one of the best Christmas songs ever written (with THE best video). Haywire (Haywire 617) has been on my radar for the past couple of years as well (check out "Clocktower Place," "Like A Train," "Love Song"), and their show last year at Edgemen Printing was one of the best local shows of the year. But putting these two bands together has produced songs that nearly eclipse everything they have done individually. I would not have expected to like this as much as I do; in fact, I'll already call out that this will be in the running for the best release of the year. Dropkick Murphys' "Solidarity" and Haywire 617's "Hang Up The Telephone" also went right to my current playlist from this one. Ok, it's time to stop reading this review and watch this video about 10 times. It'll get better and better with each play. I may just watch it all day long on repeat.

Stabber "EP II"
Released: March 27, 2026
Format: Digital Download
Label: Kickrock Records
From: Oslo, Norway
Photo of the album cover that is being reviewed.

I reviewed their S/T EP back in 2025, and it absolutely ripped. Norwegians are known for their extreme music, and this band is a case in point. Continuing right where their first EP left off, "Sick Thoughts" is my new favorite Stabber track. It gets better with each spin. I might have to go back to Norway just to catch them. Fans of Bombardement, Asspatch, Mitralle, Plastic Meat, S.M.I.L.E., Disco Assault, or just old-school fast screaming hardcore will want to check this out.

Toxic Shock "Future Is Calling"
Released: April 3, 2026
Format: Vinyl LP, Digital download
Label: Self-released
From: Antwerpen, Belgium
Photo of the album cover that is being reviewed.

This has a distinct metal sound right off the bat, and I probably wouldn't have gotten through more than a few seconds if they hadn't been slotted to play Brakrock later this summer (a festival I plan to be at). This is a 5-piece from Belgium, admittedly influenced by Slayer, Testament, and Metallica, but since I'm going to see them live, I wanted to give this a thorough listen (I don't hate speed metal; it's just not my preferred genre). When I was younger I used to hang at a local punk/metal bar where I could drink and had an absolute blast seeing early touring metal bands like Znowhite and Metal Church as well as crossover bands that included M.O.D. and D.R.I. Those were amazing shows and some of the highlights of my life. It would be hard to recreate the magic of being in that tiny dive bar, underage drunk, smoke filling the air, headbanging in the front row. I'm going to give Toxic Shock a chance, though, and see what they have. Apparently this is their first album in 9 years, and Brakrock gives this description: "...a microwave burrito forgotten for nine years, now exploding with the fury of a thousand jalapeños the second you open the door." We also get a great cover of The Gun Club's "Sex Beat." See you in the pit!"

Regal Foul "This Inferno Is So Mesmerizing"
Released: April 7, 2026
Format: Vinyl LP, CD, digital download.
Label: High End Demin Records
From: Alberta, Canada
Photo of the album cover that is being reviewed.

I first heard Regal Foul on Volume One of the "Higher HEDucation" compilation from High End Denim Records, so when this popped up, it went right to the top of my list for review. "Worst of Me" is super catchy; I just wish it wasn't close to 4 minutes long. Still a great song, and they do have several more that are under two minutes to balance it out. Let me mention two things about this release before I get into the music. First, kudos for putting this out on CD (I still have a CD player in my car, and I love CDs). Also, damn, they are lucky to live near Banff (I also love skiing). I am sitting here imagining myself hitting the slopes with this gem blasting in my headphones from my Sony Walkman CD player (although I did recently upgrade to a digital MP3 player that I update from CDs). This is top-shelf skate punk, and yes, it's mesmerizing. Snotty, fast, and catchy; I just wish they had lyrics up on Bandcamp and at least one video on YouTube, but I'm sure all that is coming.

The Knock Backs "On Ya Bike!"
Released: April 16, 2026
Format: Digital download
Label: Self-released
From: Brisbane, Australia
Photo of the album cover that is being reviewed.

Street punk/Oi! songs about drinking beer and having fun. "Uncorrupted by professionalism" should be something that every band strives for, but all kidding aside this is great. I actually heard "No Tomorrow" at the end of last year and have been waiting for the full-length release to drop. It was worth waiting for; as good as that song is, the entire release shreds. "Another Brew," "Average Joe," and "No Tomorrow" went to my current playlist, but all 8 songs are stellar. There wasn't much of a response to my countdown of the top Oi! releases of 2025, but if I end up doing another for 2026, this will be up there. Fans of The Reckless Upstarts, The Casualties, Oil!, Lion's Law, Tear Up, Booze N Glory, The Hostile Ones.

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Paul Holstein
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