Porcelain cook up a sum that’s larger than all of its alternative rock parts on their sophomore album, Today’s Minor Victories.
Release date: October 23, 2026 | TODO | Bandcamp | Instagram
The year is 2026, and everything is a pastiche. Meaning, virtually everything seems to be an imitation of a past work, but without parody, maybe just a hint of irony. Nostalgia feels like the biggest musical trend this year, probably the biggest thing since Brat Summer. It’s not all bad, though. I like a good throwback record just like any other bloke, and there are quite a few bands out there that know how to take their musical influences and mix them up just enough to make something new, something that doesn’t make you play a game of guess where that riff is from. Enter Porcelain, a grungy post-hardcore band from Austin, Texas, whose new record, Today’s Minor Victories, is a great example of how to sound like a nineties alternative rock band without sounding like you’re desperate to find a time machine.
Comprised of four seasoned musicians, with credentials that include playing in bands like Votive, Super Thief, US Weekly, and the exquisitely named Carl Sagan’s Skate Shoes, Porcelain‘s years of combined musical experience really makes them stand out from the crowd of nineties throwback bands, and sound like a band much more seasoned and tight than one might expect to hear on a sophomore album. Add to that the strong hardcore influences that creep up in the little things they do throughout the record, and it becomes clear why Portrayal of Guilt put out Porcelain’s first record on their eponymous record label. Like their former label mates, Crippling Alcoholism, I expect big things are coming their way after putting out this little gem of a record.
We kick things off here with “Yarn”, a slacker rock jam that struts in at a mid-paced, steady rhythm, marrying together Pavement’s dejectedness, Catherine Wheel’s blissed-out shoegaze hook, and a strong heap of Nirvana pretty much all over. Jordan Emmert’s crunchy bass tone and Eli Dietz’s propulsive drums are the track’s standout performers, and they lay the foundations for the follow-up track’s heavier, skronky sound, where main vocalist Steve Pike’s deadpan vocal delivery is mixed with a more aggressive performance, bringing to mind Patrick Kindlon’s work with Drug Church. It fits the song really well, as this where the band starts sounding a bit more like an Amphetamine Reptile Records noise-rock act, showing off their muscles and laying down a killer groove to end the song on a high note.
We’re then served with the shorter and punkier “New Sex”, where the band’s biggest influence (to these ears) becomes unmistakable: Sonic Youth, but make it hardcore, and pull heavily from their mid-era albums. The song has that band’s laid-back but confident instrumental backbone, but Pike’s impassioned vocals make it really stand out compared to the usual apathetic vocal performances Sonic Youth are known (read: notorious) for. In short, it’s really effective, and it works. It’s just a fun little number.
We then get a switch in gears, with “Waltz”, well, waltzing in at a more laid-back pace (sorry). That is, until around 1:15 minutes in, when the band locks into another mid-tempo, bouncy groove that flattens you with its energy. The song flips between these two chorus-verse dynamics throughout to great effect, making it probably the best representation of Porcelain’s different musical characteristics on the entire record. It sounds like a bunch of hardcore kids playing indie, which was kind of a mini-trend ten or so years ago, and has since mostly turned into hardcore kids playing nu-metal. They pull a similar lever to what the late and great Milk Music did, just a lot more tight, and a lot more measured. I’ve been missing having that particular itch scratched, so I was bound to lap up this record.
I could go on and analyze every song here, as they’re all awesome, but I think you get the picture by now: no duds here, great for anyone who was big on MTV2’s 120 Minutes or Alternative Nation growing up, and a really fun way to spend an hour. I’d also add that, as a bonus, they’re really good live. Can’t bet against a band that sounds great live and on record, can you now? But, before I wrap this review up, I do want to mention my personal favorite song here: “DSD”, which has a wired, kinetic energy to it that really puts the band’s punk and hardcore credentials on display. I hear everything from Kerosene 454 to Dead And Gone in this song, all filtered through a college rock lens that I think is the most flattering version of the band we get to hear on this record. If there’s one thing I hope this crew does more of, it’s these fast, energetic songs.
So, those are a lot of words spilled before I even mention the acoustic, somber reprieve of “Scene From A Living Room”, or the eight minutes epic album closer, “Closure”, which brings Slint to mind. I suppose that’s the sign of a standout record: at first listen it’s easy to categorise and move on from, but something just pulls you back in, revealing all the hidden layers and little quirks that make it unique. If you like any of the bands mentioned in this review, I’m absolutely sure you’ll find something to love about this record. I know I have, and the amount of times I’ve sent rave messages about songs from here to my indie and alternative rock loving friends are even more proof. Today’s Minor Victories totally lives up to its name, feeling like a minor victory, and we all know how sweet and rare those are these days.
