Personality Cult “Dilated” 2025. Dirtnap Records. Limited edition canary yellow vinyl (Green Noise Records exclusive). I’m lucky to be friends with Dirtnap Ken and got a sneak early-listen to the final cut this past spring; my reaction to the hard-hitting punk LP is the same now as it was back then: “holy sh*t, this is awesome!” We got a chance to see the band a couple of months ago at Dirtnap Records Fest over Labor Day weekend and they totally slayed. Dilated is the North Carolina punks’ third LP and their second on Dirtnap label. The opening lick from the first track, “Anticipating Action” grabs you by the combat boot and flings your ass onto the dance floor. Rat-a-tat tight and propulsive beats, relentless and furious guitars and melodically snotty (but not emo!) vocals make, for me, the perfect punk soup. Other top tracks include “Careful” and the lightning fast and explosive “To Be Alone.”

I couldn’t find any live videos from Dirtnap 2025 of Personality Cult but here’s one from Dirtnap’s 20th at High Noon in Madison, May ’22 (which we also attended):