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Sciatic Nerve

Sciatic Nerve

Written by: MAK on 18/09/2017 13:35:10

Combining members from Swingin’ Utters, Nothington, Western Addiction and Cobra Skulls, Sciatic Nerve comes in as the latest ‘supergroup’ within the Californian hardcore punk scene to provide the raw sound that their generation grew up listening to. Having grown up together in Santa Rosa, CA, Luke Ray, Chris Matulich, Tony Teixeira and Kyle Lindauer have been close friends since junior high school, with individual band experience on punk labels such as Fat Wreck Chords, BYO Records and Red Scare Industries, yet this is their first band together where there are no rules or expectations.

The eponymous first track opens with the sound of whiny feedback and distorted vocals, before crunchy riffs and up-tempo beats topped off by ferocious shouts kick in. It’s a punchy start to the album that makes you want to scream at the top of your lungs and destroy your surroundings. “Buy a Horse” follows up with something a lot more fun and melodic in comparison; the angst is there but there are some strong, catchy skate-punk undertones in the uplifting riffs and hooking vocal melodies. Within three minutes, two songs are down and we have the core vibes of Sciatic Nerve set in stone; when listening to this quartet, you should expect nothing more than circa one-minute bursts of dangerous, hardcore-infused, aggressive punk that comes in heavy, fast, high in energy, and with little bullshit on the side. There are songs in which the hardcore elements shine more clearly; “Sleep” and “Dogs”, for example, sound much more like an intense Trash Talk tracks with their imposing bass-lines, erratic drumming, and shouty gang vocals. But the likes of “Bright Lights”, “Get Away” and “My Head” are all much more enjoyable, with chirpier riffs and that old school, raw ‘90s punk atmosphere really dominating. The vocals in each track are still quite distorted, and even amidst the clean singing there's still a kind of angsty shout waiting to escape through.

“Things I Can Look at” takes the most interesting turn on the album though, as it’s a weirder, heavy- yet-progressive slow-burner, almost taking influence from stoner rock in places. It’s nice twist to the album and because the grooves remain punchy, it doesn’t feel out of place at all. The rest of the album, though, is up-tempo and highly energetic, producing the vibes of simple punk-rock at its finest. Sciatic Nerve is a fun find and excellent for those that like anything off the Fat Wreck Chords and Epitaph Records repertoires.

Download: Sleep, Buy a Horse, Things I Can Look at
For the fans of: Kid Dynamite,The Bronx, Trash Talk, Refused
Listen: Facebook

Release date 29.09.2017
Gunner Records