Hear the latest from Negative Fun's NC Tape Series, featuring The Wyrms and Pink Flag

On September 18, Raleigh’s Negative Fun Records will release two cassettes from two local bands: one, a debut from a new group of veteran players, and the other, a once-shelved swan song for a band that regained its footing after a lineup change.

The Wyrms’ At Wizard Island boasts a classicist bent behind its distorted vocals and murky production. Featuring members of Some Army, Schooner and Rogue Band of Youth, the new outfit is heavy on texture and melody, though they find a sense of garage-rock vigor not far removed from the tantrums of Ty Segall and Mikal Cronin. The ominous “Shadow,” which you can hear below, rides a slinky bass groove and fuzzy guitar riffs to a strong hook that transcends the lo-fi setting.

Pink Flag, meanwhile, recorded their entry, This Gift of Knives, between 2009 and 2010 with original bassist Princess Ojiaku, but they never released it, even after Steve Jones (ex-Dry Heathens) stepped in to fill Ojiaku’s role. The band’s anxious post-punk—with shades of Wire and Sleater-Kinney—benefits from Knives‘ darker approach, evidenced by the taut, empathic and poppy “Ted Bundy’s Heart.” <iframe loading="lazy" width="100%" height="166" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/213996065%3Fsecret_token%3Ds-VPv9O&color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false"/> While The Wyrms’ At Wizard Island will see a CD release, both sets will be duplicated on cassette, too, to join <a href="http://www.indyweek.com/indyweek/the-accidental-outburst-in-output-of-raleighs-negative-fun-records/Content?oid=4371468">Negative Fun’s NC Tape Series, </a>a collection of local tapes, available individually or in a bundle.