Happy Friday! I'm going to a house show today. At any house show, there's always the local hardcore band and the local hardcore band always does a pretty good d-beat impression. But, I feel like so many hardcore bands could go from good to great if they just did one or two things that are unexpected or weird. Is hardcore stagnating? Is hardcore an inherently limiting genre? Is my premise misplaced? (Of course, there are some amazing contemporary hardcore bands doing interesting things. But, to me, it does seems like the majority of hardcore bands keep their music squarely within the "safezone," music wise.)
Today's reviews are: