NEEDS – Self Titled

Vancouver punk act NEEDS offers up a modern dose of old school punk in the vein of Black Flag, Circle Jerks, and Minor Threat.  Like contemporary Keith Morris reboot OFF!, the ragged five-piece runs the gauntlet of gut busting, scraggly punk while always keeping a good humour about themselves.  NEEDS quickly diverges from their influences as their songs’ lengthy run times afford the space to flesh out and develop a cohesive brand of constructive chaos.  Right from the start, NEEDS’ self-titled debut keeps its eyes on the prize by maintaining a tight, frenetic focus.

Opener “Rescue Don” lays down an addictive, undulating bassline that marches forth with the cocky confidence of a champion boxer strutting down the catwalk.  Vocalist Sean Orr shows preliminary control as he openly openly throws the punches circa his pseudo spoken word technique, before unleashing his flailing fury a track later in “Walk, Cycle, or Take Transit Like Jehu.”  Reports from those having seen NEEDS on stage make Orr out as an absolute madman, and track after track, it shows.  The explosive, angular rager, “The Only Good Condo Is A Dead Condo,” captures the humoured frustration of Vancouverites furious at a million dollar housing market serving up life sentences of living in a 500 square foot studio apartment.  The band’s anger typically wells from the usual social injustice topics without getting too dark or burdensome.

All this coexists alongside mid-album, mostly-silent interlude “Nag Champion (Smoke Break),” which serves up an opportunity to catch your breath – a courtesy that many hardcore bands seem to overlook.  Entering the final half, the breather is a must as the album takes its gloves off and readies its fists for a bloody pummeling.  “We Forgot The Records To Our Record Release” and “We Don’t Know Why We Are Protesting Is Why We Are Protesting” get real visceral with sloppy, clamouring drums and the type of throaty calls that made for the best Outbreak tracks.  In many ways it’s a homecoming for the genre.

NEEDS debut with a full length that should be quick to find an audience in old-school punks, the hardcore crowd, and just about anyone else looking to have their eardrums burst from a direct injection of audio abrasion.  NEEDS is a much needed, well executed counter to the more popular breeds of melodic punk that typically garner the most press even in today’s underground.  Rough, purposeful hardcore-punk the way it was meant to be played.