Stream Cleveland Punk Band Woodstock 99’s Chaotic New EP 99 Ta Life
The Cleveland band Woodstock 99 plays the kind of ragged, chaotic punk rock that careens ahead at untenable speeds and is constantly threatening to go off the rails. Their new EP 99 Ta Life, discovered through former Pitchfork mainstay’s Evan Minsker’s predictably excellent new see/saw newsletter, is a wild ride befitting song titles like “I Kissed A Cop,” “Megan Thee Stallion Of Saints,” and, in a chef’s-kiss gesture, “99 Problems.”
That song rages with the unhinged rock ‘n’ roll power of the Stooges, and there are even a few hooks strewn about the madness on tracks like “Cambodian Pink.” The momentum never lets up until the final track, which devolves into an AI-generated stunt. Supposedly the original ending was boring, but that’s hard to believe given the rest of the record’s incendiary quality. Whatever, it doesn’t bug me nearly as much as it bugged Evan. Listen below.