reprinted from In Effect Hardcore

https://ineffecthardcore.com/current-reviews/

“NOT IN OUR CITY 2” COMPILATION (Knifetwister Records, Released April, 2026)

In December of 2025 we found out about Knifetwister Records out of Westchester, NY via their CD only compilation titled “Not In Our City” which featured 21 bands with all proceeds from sales going to Bowery Mission in NYC who help the homeless. It didn’t take long for the Knifetwister Crew to strike again as this CD was released back in April with a total of 22 bands on this go around. Much like the first “Not In Our City” CD there is a noble cause here with the proceeds from this release slated to go to “Make The Road New York” which is an organization “working to build the power of immigrant and working-class communities to achieve dignity and justice.”

This release has an international flavor to it with the 22 bands representing 8 countries and 4 continents including South Korea, the UK, Poland, Norway, Chile, Indonesia, and South Africa, with the bulk (15 total) coming from the USA. Stylistically this comp is full on punk rock with very little in the way of crunch or heavier style hardcore and sometimes that just feels right. There are songs on here that I flat out didn’t like, some that were pretty good and ones that just were instant ear catchers including New York’s Incendiary Device with “If The Time Is Right”, Saints Of Lorain from Cleveland with “Drunk and Dangerous”, South Korea’s 18 Fevers and “Let Me Live”, Indonesia’s My Like Sunday with “Punk Love Story” (check the video HERE) and South Africa’s Half Price with “Still Playin’ Punk”. Not being a ska fan at all I am pretty shocked to say that a ska/punk band from Norway called Skanimals own my favorite track here with “Gods On My Shoulders” with its infectious up-tempo beat. As stated in previous reviews of compilations I love finding new bands to discover, new music styles and ideas and “Not In Our City 2; A Punk Compilation To Benefit Immigrant Rights” does just that. Out of the 22 bands represented here I knew of just one before hitting the play button and now I have a bunch of new names to go down a rabbit hole with. This release is currently only available by purchasing the CD from Knifetwister but many of these bands have their tracks posted to their own Spotify pages. Click HERE for more info on Knifetwister and what they do.

-CW