The HoZac record label was formed in Chicago in 2006 by Todd Novak and Brett Cross. There had been a fanzine prior to that, and then the two booked shows around Chicago, bringing in music no one else was booking, and also supporting local bands who they felt were overlooked. They began putting out singles from all over the world that struck their fancy. This ranged from power pop bands to lo-fi scumsters to dream-pop generators to noisy dark-wave outfits. They did lots of Australian stuff for a while but also dug up bands from many overlooked scenes. More recently, they've gotten into archival issues of mostly punk and pre-punk outfits, while continuing to release new artists. This is a totally random sampling of their vast catalogue.

Super Wild Horses
“Fifteen”
From Fifteen LP

Super Wild Horses were a duo from Melbourne active from 2009–14. Comprised of Amy Franz and Hayley McKee, they played in a style mid-way between lo-fi shoegaze and garage-damaged riot grrrl thuggery and did so with aplomb. HoZac released a couple of their singles as well as their 2010 debut LP, Fifteen. Super Wild Horses frequently swapped instruments (a trait not common apart from a few no wave bands like Ut and Information) and didn't manage to get out of Australia often during their reign, but when they did they killed live.

Black Bug
“Machine”
From Police Helicopter 7”

This Swedish synth duo was based in Bordeaux in France when they made this single in 2011. HoZac did one album and one single with them during the years they were recording (2008–15). They manifested a classic Swedish harsh-wave approach, similar to early Leather Nun. This kind of material has often been a part of HoZac's Sound.

Cindy Sisters
“She's Burning Inside”
From She's Burning Inside 7”

Shoegaze raunch from a solo project done by Francisco Cabala, a Chilean avant garage musician better know for his work with Las Bandas and La Hell Gang. The single was a one-off, and I doubt there were any live shows in support of it, but it's a ripper. And a small taste of the Chilean underground that should give many a taste for more.

Verma
“Ragnaraak”
From Ragnaraak 7”

Verma were a Chicago psychedelic quartet, active from 2010–15. Hozac just did this one single with them, but it's a classic of the midwest psyche scene of the era – mortorik drumming, hard repeato guitar riffs that slam your head with true authority, and vocals that sound like they were recorded in a wind tunnel.

Electric Eels
“Splittery Splat”
From Jaguar Ride 7”

The Electric Eels are one of the classic bands of Cleveland's ‘pre-punk’ era, and this single was the first place to hear this great scuzzed-out tune on record. It was recorded in 1975, around the same time as “Agitated”, a single released by Rough Trade in 1978 which introduced the band's music to the world. The horrible swirl of the Eels (whose members were also involved with bands like The Mirrors, The Styrenes, X-Blank-X, etc) is one of the most brilliant sounds captured in the mid-1970s, and there can never be enough of it.

Disco Junk
“Underage Punk”
From Underage Punk 7”

This Melbourne trio was authentically teenaged when HoZac released their first single back in 2019. Not sure if it's still true, but I always find it charming when young people manage to grasp the essentials of genius-level punk rock weirdness of the raw 1978 variety. All four of the tracks on this record are very cool if you like this sort of thing. It seems easy and dumb, but 99 per cent of the people who try to recreate this material in our modern era blow it. Disco Junk do not.

14th Wish
“14th Wish”
From 14th Wish/I Gotta Get Rid Of You

There are still a bunch of unknown punk singles out there in the wild, but it's rare that a really great one from New York City turns up. But here goes. Originally on David Peel's Orange label, this sounds like it was released a lot earlier than 1980, but that's when it appeared. Classic disjointed pieces of punk and garage noise put together like a very odd puzzle. Its crude power and nearly unfathomable compositional approach is something you'll either find deliriously fine or utterly vapid. No middle ground.

Further reading on HoZac by Byron Coley can be found in The Wire 447. Subscribers can access the article via the digital archive.