"Skinheads Home For Christmas" is a Christmas single in the classic pop tradition, from hard-mod/punk band Hard Left. Brought together by the music, held together by the outrage -- Hard Left are a band borne out of a desire to explore leftist political ideas and marry them to rabble-rousing music worthy of the worldwide struggle against capital. Far from a dry exercise in doctrinaire thought, Hard Left's songs are great punk first and foremost, and ripping good fun.

The band members have been involved with punk and DIY music for nearly a century combined, including time in bands like Boyracer, Juke, Whorl, Ciao Bella, Lunchbox, Black Tambourine, Kids On A Crime Spree and operating the respected labels 555 and Slumberland Records. Initial Hard Left recording sessions in Spring 2014 led to the release of two limited edition lathe cut singles, the Situationist-inspired "What's That Sound?" and the tough-as-nails "Safety."

Now they follow-up with the first fruits from their August 2014 album sessions. Carefully packaged to recall the classic look of 70s UK pop singles, "Skinheads Home For Christmas" is a thumping tune with it's tongue in cheek, but only just. Slotting into a long tradition of holiday-themed pop singles, Hard Left bring that feeling of hopefulness to to the grittier end of the musical spectrum. And of course it's a top tune, worthy of it's street-punk lineage.

On the flip side the band tear into the John Paul Young/Bay City Roller's classic "Yesterday's Hero" with characteristic flair, amping up the tale of faded glory into an anthem of resistance. Crammed with guitars that soar and rage, terrace chants and raw-throated vocals, the song builds to a huge climax. A worthy (and rather unlikely!) addition to the punk canon.

Scattered across the east and west coasts of the US and the Arizona desert, Hard Left came together to bring you great punk, with a message of passion, resistance and hope. Call it "utopian Oi" if you will, or "hard mod," but keep your ears open for more music soon from this compelling band.


Hard Left are:
Mike: exhortations
Donna: bass, vocals
Tim: guitar, vocals
Stewart: drums, vocals
Mario: drums

Hard Left - Yesterday's Hero (John Paul Young/Bay City Rollers cover)

Hard Left is a political punk band inspired by liberatory leftist movements of the past and present. Our music is a soundtrack for direct action, an invitation to critical thought and a challenge to complacency. We privilege the "we" over the "I" and argue for the centrality of class struggle in our collective battle against neoliberalism, authoritarianism and imperialism. Hard Left believes in the power of art to enlighten as well as entertain, and we strive to do both.

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Slumberland began operations in 1989 as a collective effort consisting of members of DC area bands Velocity Girl, Big Jesus Trash Can/Whorl, Black Tambourine and Powderburns. We were inspired by such musical happenings as C86, early Creation, Postcard, K, Bus Stop, lower East Side noise, and also the renegade art aesthetics & methods of people like Cage, Burroughs and Duchamp. The explosion of punk had left behind a thriving network of 'zines, labels and distributors and we felt that there was room for our noise-loving, pop-obsessed aesthetic. While there were loads of US indie labels releasing a steady stream of 7"s, there wasn't much pop going on. Notable exceptions included Bus Stop, K and Picture Book, and we hoped to join that group and help chisel out some space for melodies amongst the noise.

Early releases from Velocity Girl, Whorl and Black Tambourine struck a note, and we found like-minded popsters getting in touch from all over the world. As we expanded the label roster and our own horizons, the goal was always to share great songs and interesting sounds from a range of styles. Our first burst of activity through the 1990s and early 2000s brought seminal records by legendary bands like Stereolab, Rocketship, The Ropers, Lorelei, The Aislers Set, Hood and Boyracer.

By the mid 2000s we were seeing a resurgence of interest in guitar pop and the start of the ongoing vinyl revival: the perfect environment for Slumberland! We launched into our latest phase of activity with as string of classic releases from The Pains of Being Pure At Heart, Crystal Stilts, Frankie Rose, Veronica Falls, Allo Darlin', Joanna Gruesome and so many more.

2025 is our thirty-sixth (!) year we are still at it, ploughing our own furrow and bringing you unique, genre-defining (and genre-defying!) releases from bands like The Laughing Chimes, Humdrum, The Cords, Autocamper, Jeanines, The Umbrellas, Neutrals, Artsick, Kids On A Crime Spree, Papercuts, Lightheaded, Tony Jay, Chime School, Lunchbox and many, many more. Indie fashions come and go but we're still thrilled by great songs and the new ways that pop can be rejuvenated to fit the times.

Hard Left - Yesterday's Hero (John Paul Young/Bay City Rollers cover)

HardLeft77