It may be time for Japanther to drop their Greatest Hits record. They could call it Louder than Louder than Bombs. Or not. Totally up to them. The Brooklyn fuzz-core duo—consisting of drummer/vocalist Ian Vanek and bassist/vocalist Matt Reilly—has released five or albums in about as many years, as well as a handful of EPs, singles, splits, and collaborations (such as the DVD puppet performance for Dump the Body in Rikki Lake and the soundtrack to Don’t Trust Anyone Over 30). There are a lot of great songs on those records, but there are also a lot of live takes, alternate versions, demo recordings, lo-fi sample interludes, and the like. That’s all part of Japanther’s charm—a new record from them could contain a new take on a five year old song and a bunch of tape collage; their new 7” could be three insane hits that won’t leave your head for days; their best songs might be obscured by garbage recordings. Amidst all that quality-uncontrolled chaos, Japanther are making some of the best punk rock on the planet right now.

On their new album, Skuffed Up My Huffy (out today on Menlo Park/Tapes Records), Japanther revive some previously recorded tracks—“The Boss” (which appeared on Don’t Trust Anyone Over 30 and Yer Living Grave), “Mornings” (which appeared on Master of Pigeons)—and they lay down recent live favorites “River Phoenix,” “Challenge,” “Cable Babies,” and “Fuk Tha Prince A Pull Iz Dum.” It’s another too-brief shot of scuzzy sing-along brilliance, clocking in at only 26 minutes, but it’s also their most even record yet, boasting a totally solid ratio of hits to filler. But, still, maybe it’s time to compile a best of, to build the ultimate Japanther album. Here’s a go at it:

1. “Critical Circles” (Operating Manual For Life on Earth)
2. “Evil Earth” (Operating Manual For Life on Earth)
3. “Change Your Life” (Master of Pigeons)
4. “Midtown” (Master of Pigeons)
5. “1-10” (Master of Pigeons)
6. “16 Stories High” (Leather Wings)
7. “Pleased to Meet You” (Leather Wings)
8. “Symptoms (Vocal)” (Don’t Trust Anyone Over 30)
9. “Selfish Kids” (Yer Living Grave)
10. “The Gravy” (Yer Living Grave)
11. “Wolfenswan” (Wolfenswan)
12. “The Boss” (Skuffed Up My Huffy)
13. “River Phoenix” (Skuffed Up My Huffy)
14. “$100 Cover” (Skuffed Up My Huffy)
15. “Challenge” (Skuffed Up My Huffy)
16. “Fuk Tha Prince A Pull Iz Dum” (Skuffed Up My Huffy)
17. “Cable Babies” (Skuffed Up My Huffy)
18. “Mornings” (Skuffed Up My Huffy)

That’s all probably incomplete and out of order and a lot of those tracks could be found on records besides the ones listed (it gets a bit complicated), and in seeking those tracks out I realized that I actually really like a lot of the demo versions and extras on all those original albums. But! That would be a hell of a record right there. Anyways, short of this imaginary best of, Skuffed Up My Huffy is a pretty good introduction to Japanther. Go buy it.