The Punk Site 2022 Top 20: Drug Church – Hygiene

At number 15 in The Punk Site writers and photographers top 20 from 2022 are Drug Church with their fourth full-length, Hygiene, that was released in March via Pure Noise Records. The album is a bold leap forward for the beloved punk agitators, proving exactly whythey are one of the most singular bands in modern guitar music. Hygiene is a testament to Drug Church‘s unique ability to make distinctly outsider music that’s also welcoming and instantly satisfying. The record leans into this seemingly contradictory path, managing to retain the tension between overt melody and visceral aggression that makes Drug Church so appealing, while also pushing into new sonic territory. 

“(Hygiene) is an echo of his (Patrick Kindlon) approach to songwriting, which is to craft his words in the studio, filtering the effusion of the music in the moment. It does manifest itself as a diatribe for the most part, misanthropes will, ironically, be pleased to hear in the sardonic bite of ‘Million Miles Of Fun’, the whip crack ‘Piss & Quiet’ and brusque ‘World Impact’. Fertile With invention, it’s an album heavy on both hostility and hooks.” (Adam Pytro March 2022)