How many records has Lockin Out released over the last two years? Seven. Well, technically six. We'll get to that later, though. That might sound insignificant, but Greg Mental & Co. only released five between 2009 and 2013. That's 120% increase in releases! And, really, it's not like LOC ever released music prodigiously - even from '02 to '06 -, but the impact of each release has always far outweighed the sum total of the releases themselves.
At least, that's how it used to be. This is the label that spawned Mental and Righteous Jams, two bands who, when active, were bigger than any other band in the scene; introduced Cold World to the... world; saw Justice transform into a group that did early 90s Bad Brains better than early 90s Bad Brains; and even put out a Terror LP. I haven't even mentioned motherfuckin' Crunch Time, Jaguarz (jungle jaaaaaamz), Lion of Judah, Dumptruck, Look Alive (forever underappreciated), Stop and Think (Both Demos goin' for like $150 on Discogs - I got my retirement fund set up), Rampage, or RZL DZL, the greatest band of all time. Look at that paragraph full of band names. That was the fuckin' LOC roster in the early 2000s. Are you fucking kidding me? That shit's Bill & Ted. There's so much cool ass vibery emanating from that paragraph that your high school's quarterback and head cheerleader are jealous. Cady Heron would turn her back on her true friends for these kids. God damn.
Lockin Out, for me, will always be that cool. Those bands were our avenue to a pocket of hardcore that seemed to hover above the rest of the scene. We wore the shirts, we low-skanked like "Sike!" was on a perpetual loop in our ears, we turned shit we heard on the records into inside jokes (the amount of times we just fucking quoted shit Greg Mental said on the Live on WERS set is so ludicrous that I'd be embarrassed if it wasn't so fucking awesome). I even went so far as to get the fuckin' label's logo tattooed on me. Before (and during and after), 80s hardcore, specifically Revelation Records bands like Gorilla Biscuits, Youth of Today, Judge, Bold, Chain of Strength, and Warzone, was a way to elevate ourselves in the scene, because - face it - even things you enjoy/consume for the purest reasons will always have social consequences both positive and negative. We loved it all sincerely, but we knew the social capital that came along with wearing certain shirts, buying certain records, playing and singing along to the right covers. That shit was our style. We, at least we thought, embodied the youth crew movement, the youth crew revival movement, and the LOC movement. It spoke to us. It also made us feel cool(er than everyone else.)
That's what I see in the mirror
I have no idea how Lockin Out registers in the scene anymore. When I went to see Turnstile in April, I saw one other kid wearing a Lockin Out shirt. I didn't see any at Wrecking Ball. I mean, the swag is still selling out immediately on the website, but who's buying it? Young kids who love the current LOC roster or old dudes like me? I don't know. I don't really go to hardcore shows anymore. I don't even know where they happen. I could find out, but eh, I apparently can't be bothered. For the most part, I've left the scene, so to reconcile myself to that fact, I've decided that some parts of the scene must've left with me.
Fortunately, LOC hasn't left me without a dope rhythm to skank to, though the skankin' is confined to the ivory tower that is my bedroom. Maybe the next time Greg Mental releases something, I'll ask after the resurgence of the label over the last couple years. Maybe I'll ask if he remembers when he stole my girlfriend at Magic Fest 2k4. Son of a bitch.
So how about those six (seven!) releases I mentioned all the way up there in the first line of the post? Let's evaluate 'em!
Consolation Prize - Consolation Prize 7"
Consolation Prize's bandcamp hasn't updated since 2013, when they posted two singles from this 7". That's not a great sign, but, who knows, maybe they're still rippin' through Justice-styled mid-paced hardcore in Philly. I've liked this record a lot, because it sounds a lot like Justice. Escapades era Justice. The best fucking Justice. That fuckin' record? I dunno, man. That's a record that always makes me think about how much people who don't dig hardcore are missin' out on truly great art. Consolation Prize clearly agrees/agreed.
Snail's Pace - Demo 2014 cassette
Another band whose tenure might've been as short as the cassette they released. This band always made sense alongside the benchmob releases of the early '00s: not in the starting squad, but definitely bringin' somethin' to the court when it's time. For better or worse, the best way to describe their sound is to say they sound like a Lockin Out band. That's a sweet thing, because LOC hadn't put out a band that had that early 00's vibe in years. On the other hand, it's a bit of a reductive way to review something, but I think it's apt.
Fiddlehead - Out of the Bloom 7" (and cassette!)
Lockin Out ended 2014 with a little teaser tape from Boston's Fiddlehead. I love teaser tapes, by the way. I mean, I get that they function exactly the same as 7" and CD singles, but I dunno, they get me excited. This recorded is fucking good. I tried to get Brian into them, but I think Brian has 100% stopped listening to anything I recommend to him. They sound like Fugazi and Jawbreaker, and he loves those bands. Fiddlehead is one of those bands that I'm surprised more of my friends don't talk about. They have appeal. It would make so much sense for them to tour with Give. I love this record. (I'm furious I didn't get the clear green vinyl, by the way. I guess at least 300 people love them, too.)
The Flex - Don't Bother with the World 7"
This record is so fast and gnarly that it's going to be done before I finish writing this review. The fuckin' vocalist calls himself The Boots. Did you read that? The Boots. That's his fuckin' listed name. Three of the other four dudes have names that end with "y" (what happened, Egan?). It's blasting British hawdcoah that stomps around in Doc Martens grinning and spitting at everyone. It's great!
Build and Destroy - Demo 2010 7"
Some dude uploaded the whole 9 minutes here, so you can jam it real quick before you rush to order it before it sells out. Will & Haroun's other band. Part of me hates Build and Destroy because it kinda seems like RZL DZL got put on hold for it, but that part of me is petty and childish. This shit picks you up and slaps you around for even actin' like that. It's like RZL DZL playing Trapped Under Ice or something; a bunch of attitude and riffs but with the slightest quirkiness that makes it so much endearing. The end of "Suspended in Time" will make you throw your record player out the window.
Build and Destroy - Map of the Heavens 7"
And, like, thank gawd Greg Mental gave us two B&D rekkids at once. The fuck was I gonna do with just the demo to bedroom mosh to? To quote QP: "this shit just get more ridiculous every round." I thought the re-released demo was outta control, but at this point they're just fuckin' with everyone. Vogel doin' guest vocals on the opening track? Yup. Jason Tarpey from Iron Age goin' 100% Jacob's Dream on the closer over the most ridiculous riff of the year? Duh. Oh what's that? That riff isn't even the most ridiculous riff on the record? Get the fuck outta here. LOC till I fuckin' cease.
Slack in impact? LOC might've just released four of the best hardcore records of 2015. Now if we could only get that new RZL DZL and that Red Death we've been hearin' about...
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