The Hysterics- self-titled EP review

The Hysterics- self-titled EP review

I can’t stop listening to this record.  It is that good.  As jaded as I feel and outwardly am sometimes, this is the most exciting band I’ve come across since I first happened upon Question, and I like both of those bands for similar reasons.  Regardless, I am absolutely in love with this record right now.

The lyrics are brilliantly written- every single song is insightful and makes me think.  ‘Arm Candy’ is about how women come along and makes guys in the scene look good… and rejecting it in favor of independence.  I never thought I’d hear such an insightful but positive message- now that I have, I can fully support it!  ‘Dow Jones’ is about the stock trade and how the pursuit of money takes the soul out of things- it’s too true (despite my being a college major of Business Administration, I do see the ultimate evil in the raw pursuit of money- it is a soul-trapping endeavor).  That, and the way the singer is able to rattle off the words is nothing short of amazing (reminds me a lot of how Mike Ratt sang in U.D.I.).  ‘Correct Me’ is the stand-out track, lyrically speaking- it’s inexplicable, but everything said here has rattled around my brain years.  I believe it has to do with having a very different (read:  accurate) viewpoint and outlook on life, and being “corrected” for it being considered wrong- absolutely brilliant.  ‘Sunk’ is another lyrical piece of gold, and the slower tempo of the song brings a sense of urgency to the words.  ‘Deformative Years’ is another lightning-fast blast, being both sonically and lyrically brutal.  And now the E.P. closes with ‘Hanging Out at the 512’, which is a lyrical mindfuck that still manages to be absolutely brilliant.  I never thought that a line about taking a shit at Wendy’s would qualify as brilliant, but The Hysterics proved me utterly wrong.

Sonically, the music is a blend of 80s hardcore and some garage-y punk and maybe some riot grrl, and they manage to take the best parts out of all of them and make one great sonic ball of ferociously awesome hardcore punk that is utterly addicting.  ‘Correct Me’ is one of the best songs to ever come out of any hardcore scene, anywhere.  Yes, it is THAT good.  The music makes me want to jump off tables and punch people in the face, and the lyrics are just amazing, in the way that I wish I could write like that.  The instrumentation is spot on, the mix is neat and even, and the package of the record itself is awesome.

I cannot possibly recommend this album and band more.  This is everything hardcore ever could have been and should be.  Excellent, brilliant, awesome, great… I’ll run out of adjectives to describe how positively I feel about this band and album before I get tired of it.  If you only buy one album this week/ month/ year/ the rest of your life, buy this.

-Aunty Social