Is 45 words too many words to use to talk about a release
that might not exceed two songs? Probably! I’ve omitted Lockin Out’s numerous dope 7”s and three of Self Defense Family’s 7”s (foreshadowing!). Life as a
short record shouldn’t be so rough. Go!
Nuclear Age - The Distinct Sounds of... (Clear Red vinyl)
Released on React! and distributed through Deathwish, this
is gruff, burly youth crew from a group of dudes that don’t look like they’ve
graduated from high school yet. The songs are fast and energetic and the lyrics
are exactly what you’d expect them to
be.
Braid - "Kids Get Grids" b/w "Because I Am" (Black vinyl)
A nice little bite-sized treat after Braid’s fabulous return
to the heights of emo No Coast. The
A-side would be a top-three song on that record, and the Broken Hearts Are Blue
cover sounds so much like Braid I didn’t know it was a cover.
Night Sins - "Down to Drown" b/w "Neon Gleam" (Purple marble vinyl)
Everything I love about the 80s goth revival packaged neatly
into two songs by Kyle from sad bastards extraodinaire Nothing. “Down to Drown”
is an expert’s tutorial in goth dancing, while “Neon Gleam” concludes with Kyle
repeating, “Ennui ennui ennui.” Sunglasses are for nighttime only.
Slugga - "Parasite" b/w "Shaved Heads" (Black vinyl)
I don’t know shit about the Atlanta music scene anymore, but
I fortunately know about Slugga. This 7” isn’t even four minutes long, but who
gives a shit? Furious, sneering punk/hardcore that “cool” parents should give
to their uncool children to make them actually cool.
Self Defense Family - "When the Caves in" b/w "Alan" (Clear red vinyl)
This is Self Defense Family’s fourth 7” in 2015. Fourth!
None of the band was apparently very happy during the writing/recording, and it shows. These are their gloomiest songs yet, digging deep into cynicism and
disapprobation. Still: an inescapable sense of relief pervades the record.
Creative Adult - Ring Around the Room (Black vinyl)
The best 7” release of the year, Ring Around the Room finds Creative Adult in the same dark space
they inhabited on their track “Americans” from the split 7” with Self Defense
Family. Superb songwriting is again on display for maybe today’s best punk band.
Thou - "Endless, Nameless" b/w "Even in His Youth" (Clear cyan vinyl)
A surprise inclusion for Robotic Empire’s Whatever Nevermind cover compilation. Thou digs into the vaults to
produce two cataclysmically heavy covers of a hidden track and a forgotten
b-side. “Endless, Nameless” is relentless in a way that shows both Thou’s
ferocity and Nirvana’s underrated heaviness.
A very different list sonically than yesterday’s. This is tied
absolutely to the format. I’m culling these seven 7”s from a list of releases
that are exclusively from subgenres of heavy music. Biasedly, I think there is
something preeminently punk rock about the 7”. Why?
I think punk rock (and its affiliated [sub]genres) uses the
format differently than mainstream music. 7”s are cheap and collectible,
representing both punk rock’s working class roots and the very commoditization
of those roots. We’ve got just enough spending power.
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