Brutal Youth – Bottoming Out

Hardcore punk is a deceptively challenging genre to nail down.  If you play it too safe, you’ll end up sounding like a Minor Threat knock off, if you try upping the ante then you risk going a little too far off the rails, and if you get too melodically ambitious, then you’re just not a hardcore punk band anymore.  So when a band like Brutal Youth hit the mark, its time for a party.  Like the talented, rambunctious minority of hardcore punk acts, Brutal Youth’s Paper + Plastick Records debut is both deceptively conventional and refreshingly original.

The Bottoming Out EP succeeds on the strengths of like-minded peers Outbreak, Municipal Waste and Boids.  There’s always an overwhelming sense of controlled destruction – like a runaway freight train threatening to jump the track that still manages to remain on the rails for the entire ride.  “Contrarian” leads the charge with highly abrasive chords and a rattling, snapping tempo, giving way to a surprisingly anthemic chorus of belted gang vocals and instrumental accompaniment.  Moments later the tempo quickens for the old-school mosher “War On Youth.”  

But Brutal Youth keeps listeners on their toes, shifting from sonic carnage to wild, drum thumping warcry within a quick minute and a half or less.  “Bottoming Out” and “Rancour” embraces Patty’s lung shredding outbursts across a gauntlet of tempos, including a shockingly well-matched chorus of streetpunk “woah-ohs” and “hey-heys.”  Closer “Smear Campaign” summarizes just about every aspect of Brutal Youth’s musical ambition and impressively synthesized stylistic breadth.  This is a band that could write any type of punk under the sun, but consciously remains committed to keeping their footprint as raw and ephemeral as possible.

Up until this point, Brutal Youth has been one of the best kept secrets in hardcore punk.  But with the combination of label changes and the concise mission statement that is Bottoming Out, Brutal Youth stands poised to become an emerging juggernaut.  Again, Bottoming Out will sound familiar to those well versed in hardcore punk, but the EP’s quick and invigorating eight minutes offers plenty of energy for those looking for a modern reimagining of their favourite genre staples.