No Time - DEMO (2013)

I don't remember the last time that I had heard a band describe themselves as street punk. But when I was in high school I was really into that label. I remember being really proud that I was dating someone who loved cock sparrer and I would wear my blitz t shirt and it was just overall a pretty funny sight because i was/am such a poser.

Flash back 10+ years later and I still like both of those bands, a lot. No Time kind of pushes me back to those years but with a lot less leopard print. The song that sounds most street punk is track "Reprobate" where they end up yelling OI in unison at the beginning of the song. But really after that song the demo kind of traces back to some more post hardcore punk roots.I suppose, also,"City Dying"'s into and outro kind of sounds like something that would be in a Blitz song.

Anyways, No Time is upbeat and pogo worthy. With some combo of a bit of kitschy street punk/oi sound and aesthetic with post hardcore melodic punk, they rip through six songs. The vocals are screechy and tough as fuck and makes this demo come together in a really great way. I could only picture this band being hella fun to see live. Check it!

FFO: Warrior Tribes, Fucked Up,Blitz

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Warrior Tribes/ Distract SPLIT (2013)

Distract and Warrior Tribes are two of Chicago's very own punk outfits that came together to make this split. Distract has been on my radar as by far one of the best bands to come out of Chicago's current scene but I had not actually taken the time to listen to this split until recently. Which is funny because now I would say that this release has probably my favorite Distract song of all time ("fresh air" has the best sound clips and meghan's voice is just so sick as hell. total mosher).

While Distract and Warrior Tribes certainly have two distinct tones to them, their styles accompany each other super well for a split such as this. Listening to both sides of this split just really works. While I'm always about bands who come together and sound nothing alike (like the Peeple watchin/ hits split!) I also get really excited when bands can release something that just blends in a really great and catchy way. I definitely feel like this split goes above and beyond in that category.

Warrior Tribes can be described as a kind of post hardcore/ kind of melodic catchy punk. They remind me a bit of Fucked Up and Paint it Black but with a bit of a warmer tone that is slightly reminiscent of some oi. All of those things together make for a super catchy band that can easily get stuck in your head (specifically "what we get". I keep singing that chorus to myself for days now!).

Additionally, the recordings are just really well done. I don't know much about that stuff, but I do know that Will at Dead Air is fantastic and has yet to go wrong in any way. And hearing these recorded songs makes me really want Warrior Tribes to re record their demo with better sound quality! (maybe thats not very punk to say).

Lastly the cover art is SO good. I wish I could have it on a shirt or a back patch. Someone convince these folks to make that!

FFO: canadian rifle, fucked up, distract, no truce,

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Anti-Zen S/T (2014)

Since every punk has decided to up and move to Philly, so many other cities have been left to hang in terms of new sick outfits to jam out to. While I have no idea if any of the members of Anti-Zen live in Philly or are planning on moving to Philly (at this point I wouldn't be surprised. Every band has at least one member thats planning on moving to Philly), for all intensive and categorizing purposes I am claiming Anti-Zen to be a DC band.

Anti-Zen sounds nothing like most bands that are most associated with their scene. In fact they depart from most popular notions of hardcore to make a demo that combines elements of UK late 70's crust,some sweet ass solos, 90's dark Iapanese hardcore, and just totally insanely great vocals that are screechy and whiney (in a reallyyyy good way). Released off of Hesitation Wound Records, Anti Zen includes members of State Violence and Aghast. While the vocals definitely sound nothing like Nick Blinko, their over all sound definitely resonates with Rudimentary Peni (especially the bass lines). Which is just awesome because what bands these days can you really say sound like rudimentary Peni? Not many, my friend.

The song that totally sold me for this being demo being so fucking killer is "Mao II", specifically at 1:03. Then immediately it goes straight into "waves and Radiation" which is my other favorite song on the demo. Pretty much each song just kind of gets catchier and catchier. Those solos, man.

FFO: Rudimentary peni, Bone Awl, The Comes

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UPDATE: Just learned that two of the members of Anti-Zen live in philly. Proving my point.

LUMPY AND THE DUMPERS- 7" (2013)

So before I really started listening to Lumpy and the dumpers, I came across their music video for their song "sex pit". If you haven't watched it it kind of reminds me of if the makers of Ah! real monsters and Are you afraid of the dark? made an adult show.

I think the best way to describe Lumpy and the Dumpers is exactly what they put their tags as on bandcamp: "punk eel goo fuck you eat shit fucked up sic nasty meat slime Belleville". Coming from a town right outside of St. Louis, Lumpy and the Dumpers are just one of the many other bands holding down the fort for the midwest cranking in some bratty and sick ass punk. I personally am pretty into their schtick (I'm also a fucking weirdo) and think their name is randomly hilarious. Something that I assume most people have noticed by now is that US punk really loves snotty glue sniffing hella 1977 lo fi meets hardcore meets "I'm gonna fake vomit into this mic" sounding bands right now. Lumpy and the Dumpers are definitely in that category. It's cool, though, to see a band be kind of self reflexive of this and respond to it in an even campier/exaggerated manner. (Okay now everyone go read susan sontag's notes on camp and see how you can apply it to punk).

I just recently saw them with tenement in NWI and they definitely were maybe the most fun to watch. All their stuff is free on bandcamp. check it.

FFO: Nuke Cult, Vaginors

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