Flat Worms

Something of a supergroup in the West Coast garage punk community, Flat Worms are a clever, cheerfully abrasive trio who confirm you don't have to be an angry teenager to play great punk rock. Dealing in choppy guitar figures bathed in feedback and distortion, paired with strong, throbbing rhythms, Flat Worms have mastered the art of sounding serious on the surface while clearly enjoying their lo-fi chaos, and their 2017 self-titled album and the 2019 EP Into the Iris are commendable unions of punky troublemaking and indie rock smarts. 2020's Antarctica found the band cleaning up their act just a bit, aiming for a more controlled attack without giving up the punch of their earlier work, and 2023's Witness Marks laid lots of tough, skronky guitar over a taught, hard-hitting rhythm section.