SINGLE REVIEW: Repeat - Nothing New
‘Nothing New’ is loud, proud, and absolutely relentless. In under three minutes, Swedish punks Repeat tear through any notion of subtlety with churning guitars, rampant drums, and rugged, fists-up vocals that never once let the urgency dip. It’s scrappy, fast, and full of fire—but it’s also tight, hooky, and bloody brilliant. One of the best new punk singles in ages, bar none.
There’s a real weight behind the riffs here. Thick, DIY-toned guitar work that feels like it's clawing its way out of the speaker, backed by drumming that pummels rather than pulses. But even with all that grit, there's melody baked into every second. It's gloriously rough around the edges, but you never lose the tune—Repeat know exactly when to let a line bite and when to let it soar. The vocals are raw, sure, but there’s control and character there too: a brash, laddish confidence that feels totally natural, never put on.
What really stands out is the balance. ‘Nothing New’ manages to sound both throwback and urgent as hell, nodding to the rawness of early Descendents, the melodic drive of Bad Religion, and the defiance of The Clash—without ever sounding like a nostalgia act. The influences are there, but they’re not leaning on them. They’ve taken the spirit and done something fresh with it. No frills. No overproduction. Just punk at its most honest and instinctive.
Lyrically, it cuts through the noise. It’s bitter, defiant, and pissed off—but in a way that feels grounded rather than whiny. That repeated line—“But we say that this is nothing new”—lands like a punch. Because it isn’t new, and that’s the point. The frustration is familiar, but this delivery makes it feel vital all over again. It’s angry, but never obnoxious. Political, but never preachy. And above all, it’s authentic—punk that actually means something.
Repeat haven’t overthought a thing here, and that’s exactly why it works. ‘Nothing New’ is fast-paced, hook-filled, and full of bite, but more than that, it feels real. It’s the kind of track that reminds you why punk mattered in the first place—and why it still does now. Raw, rebellious, confident, catchy—it’s everything punk needs to be, done brilliantly.
