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INTRODUCING . . .
(Equal Vision)
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Hardcore punk can be funny. Of course, any band can be called "hardcore" if they play fast and have a screaming singer, and the same definition has been used to relate "punk" to early-’80s SST bands like Black Flag and Hüsker Dü. Modern-day hardcore shares more than just the same open-ended characterization with those nascent "indie punk" bands; it shares song structure and lyrics that address some of the same socio-political topics. Fronted by Kevin Baker of the Hope Conspiracy and Tim Cossar of Give Up the Ghost, the Bars favor a sound that is both ball-grabbing and rapacious in its inflection. Aside from the relatively mellow "Too Far Down," every track is an onslaught of dropped D power-chord progressions and raspy laments of persecution and exploitation. In other words, it’s an excellent throwback to the bands who paved the way.
