The Harakiris – Swill EP

The Harakiris hail from Tennessee, it’s refreshing to know that in a state famous for two kinds of music, both country and western, there is a alternative for those who prefer their music angrier and louder. The Swill EP is bought you by underground label Born Dead Records and this release bears all the hallmarks of hardcore and the noisier end of street punk. The vocals are growled, the guitars are harsh and distorted and the drums hammer away like the heartbeat of an amphetamine riddled rottweiler. Every now and then we need records like this to blow away the cobwebs, this is music made for catharsis after a particularly bad day. 

This is old school street punk, there are no subtleties on this five track EP, it’s relentless, brutal and in your face. Sometimes releases like this can become repetitive, however The Harakiris have thankfully managed to avoid falling into that trap. For some reason this reminds me of an angry version of The Bouncing Souls and I think that is what separates this from the majority of bands of this ilk, there’s an underlying melody hidden under the aggression and bluster that saves it from being just another angry band with a distortion pedal.

Whilst this kind of punk wouldn’t be my first choice, and it probably wouldn’t be my second choice either, it has it’s place in your collection and if you like your punk to be vociferous frenzied spleen venting then you could do worse than to check out The Harakiris

Swill can be purchased here.