Drums and guitar high in the mix with jagged vocals buried a little beneath makes for a compelling listen, sort of similar to Drive Like Jehu or maybe even the first Bronx album (check the Refused-via-Stooges riffing on the title track).
Review: Strike to Survive – Yesterday’s News
National Music Reviews
Strike to Survive
Yesterday’s News
Don’t Look Down Records
Street: 06.25
Strike to Survive = Kvelertak + Paint It Black + Bars
This is Nor-Cal melodi-punk with a little post-core in its DNA, along with hints of that Gravity Records screamo sound. Drums and guitar high in the mix with jagged vocals buried a little beneath makes for a compelling listen, sort of similar to Drive Like Jehu or maybe even the first Bronx album (check the Refused-via-Stooges riffing on the title track). Highlights include “Ringer,” which builds on a squall of feedback and tribal drumming before belching into a full-on, steel-wool-across-your-skin assault. While it certainly doesn’t do much to set itself apart from its predecessors, it more than makes up for it in tireless conviction (“Sore Throats”) and water-tight musicianship. Treading this perilously close to “amazing-core” territory might make this cynical reviewer run for cover, but for those who haven’t given up entirely on life, Yesterday’s News could become a recurring spin. –Dylan Chadwick
Yesterday’s News
Don’t Look Down Records
Street: 06.25
Strike to Survive = Kvelertak + Paint It Black + Bars
This is Nor-Cal melodi-punk with a little post-core in its DNA, along with hints of that Gravity Records screamo sound. Drums and guitar high in the mix with jagged vocals buried a little beneath makes for a compelling listen, sort of similar to Drive Like Jehu or maybe even the first Bronx album (check the Refused-via-Stooges riffing on the title track). Highlights include “Ringer,” which builds on a squall of feedback and tribal drumming before belching into a full-on, steel-wool-across-your-skin assault. While it certainly doesn’t do much to set itself apart from its predecessors, it more than makes up for it in tireless conviction (“Sore Throats”) and water-tight musicianship. Treading this perilously close to “amazing-core” territory might make this cynical reviewer run for cover, but for those who haven’t given up entirely on life, Yesterday’s News could become a recurring spin. –Dylan Chadwick
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