I know I shouldn't be surprised, but somehow it never occurred to me that Turkey would have a vibrant underground rock scene. I've been to Istanbul many times, in fact, it's one of my favorite cities in the world. It's vibrant and rich, and a dynamic contraction of ancient and modern, conservative and rebellious, east and west. I know they had a killer psych scene in the 70's and somewhat of a metal scene in the 90's, but hadn't really heard much since then.
Guess what? They have a killer garage scene going on right now.
Let me introduce you to the Reptilians From Andromeda who just released their brand spanking new 7" EP "Doomsday" on Prof Sny Records (Prague-Czech Republic)
Reptilians From Andromeda is a female fronted Garage/Punk band from Istanbul. 'Electrifying alternative rock music that mixes punk, garage rock, no wave, and grunge. Gritty, grimy, distorted, noisy, intense - The sound of the Turkish Underground.'
RFA was formed by stunningly beautiful vocalist and song writer Aybike Çelik Özbey and her husband Tolga Özbey who plays guitars (also former member of 90s pioneer Turkish punk band "Rashit"). Taylan Turan is the drummer also played before in French band "28.50" and well known Turkish band "Toz ve Toz". Merve Ertugrul is the bass player. The EP was recorded and mixed by the Reptilians in Istanbul, and mastered by 70's legendary UK powerpop punk band The Monos! frontman, producer Fran Ashcroft.
What we got here is a killer 4 song burst of punk energy, garage fuzz, new wave obtuseness, and good ol' fashioned rock n roll. Seriously, if you're a garage punk freak like me you gotta check this out. I didn't have to listen for more than 30 seconds before I dropped my money down and bought a copy of the vinyl
And it gets better. Check out their label's bandcamp page https://profsnyrecords.bandcamp.com/releasesand you'll not only find this killer EP, but also an amazing comp of all that's happening in the world of Turkish garage punk. An amazing snapshot of a developing scene.
And yes, before you ask, I bought that one too. Both releases are embedded below. If it's up your alley, support with your dollars. Small labels need that support to help their scenes grow. I can't wait for my packages to arrive.
Seems like it's time for me to make a trip back to Istanbul!
--Racer
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