The Hysterics, Swimsuit, and Dry Eyes at the Neutral Zone, 9/17/12 show review

The Hysterics, Swimsuit, and Dry Eyes at the Neutral Zone, 9/17/12 show review

I finagled quite a bit to make this show fit my schedule- go in two hours early, skip my lunch break, drive right out to the show after punching out, etc.  Hopefully the inconvenience would be worth it.

Oh man, was it ever.  Local high school band Dry Eyes went on first (they were one or two songs into the set when I got there), and though they were young and a bit difficult to define, it seemed like horror-influenced, hardcore-related punk.  I’m not sure if it has a name, but it’s pretty good.  I wasn’t headbanging or moshing, but this band has some good riffage.  I’ll be keeping an eye and an ear out for Dry Eyes- you should too.

Next on the bill was Swimsuit, an arty punk-indie rock mix.  Though this was one of the weirder band I’ve seen, and I doubt I would play music like this or see this band on the regular, this was truly talented music (i.e. they could play their instruments and write a euphonious song) and it was enjoyable.  That much I can respect- props for being different and still good.

Closing out was the band I’d been dying to see, the Hysterics, from Olympia, Washington.  It has a member of Outlook and has a reputation unto itself, so I was excited.  Holy shit- this was one of the more electrifying sets I’ve seen this year.  I have never seen someone be so righteously angry wear such a happy shirt.  Seriously, the singer rocked a Cheerios shirt while blasting out one of the most energetic sets I’ve seen- on top of it all, it is a band of all females- not that it matters, but it is awesome nonetheless.  This quartet just powered through their set, song after song with nary a break, save to explain a song’s meaning (about street harassment, which, as a dude who loves women, has never seemed like an effective flirtatious or networking tactic).  These four females furiously cut through and jammed out hardcore that could have come straight from the 80s, and I wouldn’t have known the difference.  What a band- what a group of awesome people and killer musicians (punk musicians, that is).  This performance was right up there with Hoax’s two performances and Tragedy’s performance- gnarly as FUCK.

I teetered on whether I would attend this or Ceremony later that week in Lansing.  Glad I chose this one.  I would have seriously missed out.

-Aunty Social

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