One of Mikey Erg’s 14,000 post-Ergs! projects, Psyched to Die should also should be noted for the rest of its makeup: current and/or ex-members of Splitting Headache, For Science, Hunchback, Forward to Death and Fast Times. That kind of alumni promises a smart and accomplished sound, and it’s exactly what the band’s Sterile Walls 7” provides.

The mostly mid-tempo “Onward Armageddon” is a sloppily pounding track that picks up the pace in the last 15 seconds, which lets it segue nicely into the quicker “Permanent Solution.” That and “Five Year Plan” solidifies the idea that PTD are putting a refreshingly melodic and adept spin on `80s D.C. punk, as the rawness and brevity of certain chords in, say, “New Hampshire Man’s Quandry” scream early Minor Threat yet with the complexity of something like “In My Eyes.” The rest of the songs feature plenty more fist-pumping stop-starts and excited, vocally versatile, anxious shouts from various members.

This is a great little 7” and easily one of the better debuts in recent memory. It’s fun, fast and still creative enough to elicit impression at its little nuances, with a perfectly clean/dirty recording to boot.

STREAM
Onward Armageddon
Permanent Solution
New Hampshire Man’s Quandry