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SINGLE MOTHERS - Hell (Is My Backup Plan)

Ever since finding out about Single Mothers over spring break I find myself unable to stop listening to them. My love for the Hold Steady should be well known at this point; Single Mothers is essentially an hardcore version of The Hold Steady sent from an alternate universe where the consequence of not rocking is death. Make sense? It probably doesn’t until you listen to it. Which you totally should.

Ceremony - Video

Zoo; 2012

Matador 

The last song on Ceremony’s Matador debut is arguably one of its strongest. With a crawling speed and patience, “Video” is a haunting piece of hardcore/post-punk. The song stops and starts on a dime, exhibiting beautiful production and composition. I can see this release getting a ton of flak from the Bay Area’s fans, but hey, shouldn’t a band grow (along with its fanbase)?

Trash Talk - Burn Alive

I’m so excited that Trash Talk killed it with their newest EP Awake. With five songs clocking in around eight and a half minutes, Trash Talk takes the sound they solidified on last year’s Eyes and Nines and improves it; making it aggressive, violent, and uniquely catchy. “Burn Alive” cements why Trash Talk is doing the whole 80’s revivalist hardcore thing better than pretty much anyone else (although Ceremony kills it too): the track is a suicidal anthem that makes you want to burn down a police station and then piss on the ashes that lie in your wake. Get ready to get violent.

Rites Of Spring - For Want Of

Rites Of Spring (1985)

Rites Of Spring is a band that can’t be measured by the extent of their discography, one LP and one EP, but by the influence they had. Pinned with creating the emo/hardcore bridge, the band was comprised of members that would go on to create Fugazi with, then producer for the band and member of Minor Threat, Ian MacKaye. They were recently featured in an AV Club article about artists who had short, but highly influential careers. Without Rites Of Spring, I think punk, hardcore and emo music would have developed an interloping relationship much differently.