Album Review: School Drugs – Modern Medicine

School Drugs originate from the Jersey Shore, an area of the US that is blighted by pharmaceutical giants like Bayer and Global PharmaTek, knowing this explains the theme of “Modern Medicine“, an album that represents a prescription drug addled cathartic blast of highly medicated hardcore punk, one that steadfastly refuses to be sedated. School Drugs describe themselves as existing somewhere between your initial high and impending purge, a description that make perfect sense after being exposed to the ten hits of hardcore that populate “Modern Medicine“.

The album’s hard hitting title track is an anguished howl that hits home at the source of the ire, “Pathetic. Desperate” ups the ante with a full tilt sub minute hardcore thrasher and from this point onwards there’s no turning back with an album of hardcore punk that is done and dusted in under twenty minutes. Every track brings it’s own element to bear, from the unhinged treble laced punk rock of “Nothing Grows” and “Overrated Life” through the intense duo of  “Gimme Doubt” and “Wash Away” to the album’s epic, at least by School Drugs standards, finalè “Joyless“, that brings the album to a close with a final dose of emotional rage that fades out into a wall of glorious feedback and haunting piano.

“Modern Medicine” is an album that draws deep from the roots of the US Hardcore scene, musically there is much kinship with “In God We Trust, Inc.” era Dead Kennedys, especially with the surf laced trebley short and sweet solos that punctuate the tracks, but the overall delivery is more akin to the likes of Black Flag, Poison Idea and Bad Brains. If you long for an authentic hit of old school US hardcore then School Drugs will happily fill in your prescription via Indecision Records.

“Modern Medicine” can be streamed and purchased via Bandcamp here

School Drugs can be found on Facebook here