Counterpunch – Bruises

With the crowd of violent brawling moshers and over-the-top font font-and-centre as album art on Counterpunch’s latest full length, Bruises, you couldn’t fault even the genre faithful for mistaking the Chicago, Illinois band as a straight up 80’s hardcore act.  But that would be entirely misinformed.  Instead, the four-piece is a throwback to the best of 90’s melodic stake punk with a very modern edge – like a feistier iteration of The Swellers if they were channeling Rise Against.  Better yet, Bruises comes together with the melodic expertise of many past greats, at times sounding as if the ghost of the late Tony Sly was watchfully perched in the producer’s chair.

Skate punk fans will rejoice knowing that anthemic choruses and three-part melodies make up the core of Bruises’ efforts.  Opener “guardrails” roars out the gate with drums in full gear and soaring guitars punching forward as they denounce this world’s modern “tragedy played out for all to witness.”  The remainder of the track falls comfortably into a smooth choral loop that will leave listeners comfortably tapping their toes amidst the calamity.  It isn’t long before the super tight, punchy chords of tracks like “Young & Entitled” start transporting listeners back to an age dominated by Pulley and Ten Foot Pole.  So many of these songs would fit alongside any number of tunes from No Use For A Name’s Lech Con Carne or Lagwagon’s Hoss.  “No Man’s Land” and “Blueprint” pack at least a decade of nostalgic gang vocals and anthemic choruses into a mere five minutes.  “Grinder” even gets a little tougher with some Jim Lindberg-esque “woahs” accompanied by a political call for the larger populace to combat societal complacency. 

The harder side of things goes further than Pennywise comparisons though, into the realm of mid-career Rise Against.  Flexing their guitar muscles, the band let’s their rolling riffs take control at a mid-tempo, bass-heavy punk-rock pace with tracks like “Heartstrings” and “Destroyed By Lions.”  With plenty of steady “whoa-oo-oahs,” and hand hardnosed fist pumping gang contributions, the track also feeds off of a certain Offspring quality. 

But perhaps most important to Counterpunch’s modern relevance comes the handful of tunes that could easily be taken as the product of a modern headliners at a Pure Noise Records label showcase.  With reference to the title track and “Clay Pigeon,” the band gets creative with some poppy hooks that would blend in alongside The Swellers or Handguns.  While the comparison might cause some purists to turn up their noses, Counterpunch pull off the likeness just fine.  Taken in the melting pot of styles that is Bruises, these tracks buff out the album’s otherwise rough edges.

Counterpunch has released a knockout of a record.  Bruises tastefully surveys the gauntlet of skate punk without forcibly living in the past or blindly following current trends.  In other words, it’s modern skate punk that respects the past twenty years.  Those curious about what this all means will be in for a surprisingly pleasant blend of old and new.