6 recent hardcore records for your autumnal rage
New and new-ish releases that you may have overlooked.
If you haven't heard, it's Scorpio Season — which explains why everything feels crazy and restless and frustrating. In other words, it's the exact perfect time to catch up on all the hardcore punk releases you may have totally missed during this year's next-level insanity. Personally, I am currently incapable of listening to anything else; all that stored up aggravation has to go somewhere. If you're feeling my type of way, here are five awesome, somewhat overlooked records to play dangerously loud.
1. BIB, The Face
BIB's The Face is just a two-song single — a reverb-packed six-and-a-half minutes. But its furious title track and the slimey "Peace Of Mind" are both totally beautiful in different ways. They're a band formed in the punk basements of Omaha, and have released a number of EPs and demos on Pop Wig and Deranged Records, and have a another EP called Moshpit coming out in December.
2. Penetrode and C.H.E.W., Strange New Universe split
I love a great split record. Chicago bands Penetrode and C.H.E.W. make a killer pair on their April release from Slugsalt, Strange New Universe. They're both fast as fuck, d-beat style, and excellent at screaming. My favorites are C.H.E.W.'s wailing "Negative Nancy," and Penetrode's strangely melodic "Death = Life."
3. Urochromes, Night Bully
If you wanna get spit in your eye, get up close to Jackie Jackieboy at a Urochromes show. Released on Wharf Cat Records in January, the Night Bully EP — which is industrial and shouty with digital drums and a Descendents-like worldview — rules. Bonus: the B-side includes two murky Boy Harsher remixes of the title track.
4. HVAC, Mentality
HVAC's first demo begins with an intro called "The Fuckening," if that gives you a hint at what's coming next. The rest — like the screeching, stomping "Crystal Slipper" — is anarchic, exuding the kind of emotion that's only soothed by screaming.
5. HARAM, بس ربحت, خسرت (When You Have Won, You Have Lost)
HARAM ("forbidden" in Arabic) is apparently the only American punk group to sing in Arabic. Naturally, that means Yonkers-born lead singer Nader Haram has been questioned by the Joint Terrorism Task Force. With titles like "American Police," "The Defense of Yourself," and "Not a Terrorist," it's pretty clear Nader and his band aim to be as confrontational as possible with the brisk, classically structured hardcore on When You Have Won, You Have Lost (which dropped October 19 on Toxic State).
6. Blank Spell, Miasma
Philly three-piece Blank Spell write venomous-feeling, demonic-sounding, hook-filled punk songs. The standout off their June-released full length, Miasma, is "Echo Chamber," a fuzzy track that trudges along with a serious power. Also, their album art is always really scary and cool.