The Bad Penny (beta)

Strapped for cash but hungry for great music? Don’t worry, The Bad Penny has your back. Here’s a rundown of 10 rad releases, most of them recently issued, that we came across on Bandcamp this week.

(Note: If you do have some green to spare, please show your thanks to these deserving artists and labels.)

1. Various Artists’ Transcending Obscurity 2026 Label Sampler

Mumbai, India-based Transcending Obscurity, which The Bad Penny profiled extensively last year, has outdone itself with this year’s edition of its annual label sampler. The freebie corrals 26 blistering songs by extreme-metal bands from across the world, not the least of whom are Veilburner, Haxprocess, Endspace, Verdun and Death Obvious.

2. In Lieu’s Failing in the Right Direction

Our ears are still ringing from listening many times to Hooligan, the solid record that Minneapolis noise-rock band In Lieu unleashed upon the masses in October. In delving deeper into the group’s catalog, we discovered their debut record, Failing in the Right Direction, which the band made when it was only a two-piece. Sure, it’s not as well-crafted as Hooligan, but given that vocalist/guitarist Nicole Post and drummer/bassist Lucas Margulies were basically kids when they made the record, it tickles and titillates.