Russian "Skinhead" Reggae/Ska Group The Punchers Return with Sophomore EP Hey, Apollo! This Is Horror! (Magnetic Loft Records)

The Punchers are a modern-day "Boss/Skinhead Reggae" & Ska band based out of Moscow, Russia. The Punchers formed towards the tail-end of 2016 and consists of frontman Kirill Sosed, bassist Vladimir Jurin, drummer Stanislav Ikonov, guitarist Artem Piskun, former second guitarist Evgenly Balashov, and keyboard player Kamil Gazizov. As you may well remember, we previously covered The Punchers' 2018 debut EP, Punch from The Jungle, which was released on Artem Piskun's own Magnetic Loft Records in collaboration with fellow Moscow-based label, Mangy Little Mut (MLM) Records. The Punchers are dead-set on continually making and releasing a unique brand of Skinhead Reggae dating back to the genre's original roots from 1969 with their mantra being "no peace, no love, just pure Aggro sounds!" The Punchers even stick to the oft-adopted 1969-1980's style choices of Skins, as seen by their "close-cropped or shaven heads and working-class clothing, such as Dr. Martens and steel-toe work boots, braces, high-rise and varying length straight-leg jeans, and button-down collar shirts, usually, slim-fitting in check or plain."


Now, less than a year after Punch from The Jungle's digital release, The Punchers have returned with a concise 3-track EP entitled Hey, Apollo! This Is Horror! It's comparable to the Skinhead Reggae/Ska sound heard throughout The Punchers' Punch from The Jungle EP with a hint of Soul, Surf Rock, and Punk-minded wit. Hey, Apollo! This Is Horror! consists of 2 covers and an original penned by The Punchers: a vocal cover of The Hippy Boys (later, Lee Perry's The Upsetters)' 1960-70's instrumental track, "Apollo 11," The Punchers' own Eiffel 65-inspired original, "Hey!" and a cover of "Horror Reggae" from frontman Kirill Sosed's old band, The Lappers. The Punchers' Hey, Apollo! This Is Horror! EP is currently available to stream or download on Magnetic Loft Records' Bandcamp page

"[Magnetic Loft Records] proudly presents this new one by The Punchers. It's called "Hey, Apollo! This Is Horror!" and includes 3 songs. "Apollo 11" is a version of a classic tune by The Hippy Boys. It's with voice, instead of the original version. "Hey!" is an original track by The Punchers influenced by Eiffel 65, who were very popular in Russia in 200X. "Horror Reggae" was written by The Lappers—where [Kirill] Sosed sang years ago.

Thanks to Coffee Bean Records & Nikita for recording, mixing, and mastering and to Pasha Zaroslov for the cover, which cosplays Neil Armstrong on The Moon."

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"С гордостью рекомендуем к прослушиванию свежий EP The Punchers "Hey, Apollo! This is Horror!," состоящий из трех прекрасных треков. "Apollo 11" представляет собой авторскую переработку классического боевика группы The Hippy Boys. Собственно, в нашем прочтении трек из инструментального стал вокальным. Песня номер 2 "Hey!" – солидный авторский молодежный хит The Punchers с припевом в стиле популярной в 2000-х группы Eiffel 65. Третий номер "Horror Reggae" язык не поворачивается назвать песней, настолько он хорош. Это также кавер, но уже на наших, отечественных звезд The Lappers. Музыку сочинил Митя из The Zapoy!, слова и звуки – Кирилл Сосед. Слушайте и танцуйте! Всем пещерный реггей и космический хоррор!

Огромное спасибо: 
 - Coffee Bean Records и лично Никите за запись, сведение и мастеринг; 
 - Паше Зарослову за крутой арт в виде Нила Армстронга на луне."

- Magnetic Loft Records (@MagneticLoft)