The Archivists of Anarchy: Essential Punk Reissue Labels

It would be irresponsible not to include Simple Machines.

It’s not only reissues, though. Numero does plenty of archival work. Take the recent discography they put out for Philadelphia screamo band Frail, who were teenagers during the band’s initial three-year run in the early 1990s. This new collection takes those 30-year-old songs and presents them alongside extensive liner notes in a way that tells their story while also talking about the impact both past and present of that music.

Broken Bones, and more from the first wave of d-beat.

Unlike other labels that only press a couple hundred records, Havoc has always made it a priority to try and keep this music in print through repressing, oftentimes to the tune of 1000 copies at a time, multiple times. Which is to say: you can still get a Realities Of War 7-inch for $4.50 on Discogs.

“12-inch black vinyl only. No website,” reads the L.G. Records Instagram , which reissues long lost, out-of-print releases, demos, and compilations from obscure punk and hardcore bands across the Washington D.C., San Diego, and San Francisco areas. Each release is treated with care — from remastered audio pulled from original tapes to faithfully recreated artwork and liner notes that tell the story behind the noise.

Since 2023, L.G. has released 12-inch black vinyl reissues from bands such as Love As Laughter, who ed away in 2020. The comp spans over 20 years, and pulls from home demos, studio outtakes, obscure compilations, and out of print EPs recorded.

This Oakland-based label Inepsy catalog. Through meticulous restoration and thoughtfully curated releases, Tankcrimes Records continues to honor and sustain the legacy of influential punk and metal acts, making it a cornerstone label for enthusiasts and collectors alike.

What do you expect from a label calledthe Lewd, and so many more punk heavyweights of the 1970s, ‘80s, and ‘90s. Based in Fullerton, California and active since the early 2000s, the label started off releasing new albums from active bands but quickly transitioned to doing reissues and archival compilations almost entirely. The label also has a brick and mortar location in Anaheim, California, home to thousands of punk rarities. 

According to their website, this Philadelphia label is “For Anarchists, Maniacs, Perverts, and Punks.” A quick search through their catalog backs up most of it. Specializing in music as extreme as it is obscure, General Speech digs deep into the subculture’s history, reissuing record after record of some of the noisiest Finnish, Japanese, and American punk alongside a smattering of new stuff that fits that same sound. Unlike other labels that throw in a more well-known release here and there, the entirety of their catalog is made up of reissues of records so rare that they could have easily been lost to time.

Just a couple of years old, Camera Obscura, and others.

Gorls.

One of the most interesting things about HoZac — and many of these labels — is the role they play in preserving music history. They’re not just pressing records, though that’s certainly central to what they do. They’re also telling the stories behind the music, whether through detailed liner notes or online posts. As a result, fans see these labels as valuable resources, often using their social media channels as informal forums to share memories, trade knowledge, and keep the conversation going.

Punk stalwarts MG 15, which originally dropped in 1985. Not surprisingly, this has become a good chunk of what they do, especially over the past decade, with increased interest in many of these previously out-of-print and unreleased recordings.

In 2018, in an effort perhaps to reduce some of the clutter, they created the sublabel Scottish punk label.

Triggerman), to help underground and punk artists keep their publishing under control in the streaming age. According to the founders, punk bands rarely had their publishing rights in order as they moved into the streaming age.

“How do you take a record like Youth Brigade.