The penultimate entry in our countdown of our favourite releases from 2022 is 796, the debut album from the politically-outspoken Irish avant garde punk producer Meryl Streek that was released via Venn Records in November. For the most part a devastating condemnation of the shameful Catholic church abuse scandal in Ireland, the album penned following the findings of The Mother and Baby Homes Commission of Investigation. 796 is an emotionally volatile and heart-wrenching collection of cutting edge punk that pushes genre boundaries whilst traversing extremely challenging political subject matter with aplomb and vitriol. “Beyond the words, (and the words are a huge part of the whole of this album), the insanely special musical drive that accompanies, embellishes and fully draws you in t...