Contracharge Est 2023 CD
Now, there are only two options when you are confronted with a band that has the word “charge” in their moniker. They either have a plan to go on a pilgrimage to sunny Stoke-on-Trent in order to take pictures of the famous chimneys, or they haven’t listened to a single punk band since the SEX PISTOLS. Of course, CONTRACHARGE belongs to the first category, as this Chicago band plays D-beat hardcore (duh). This CD includes their first three digital EPs, Clutching Keys, Dead Weight, and The Tower, that were all recorded in the past twelve months. I make no secret of my love for the D, and for unoriginal hardcore punk music done well in general. D-beat is a deceptively easy genre, but, as my punk sensei used to teach me, “simple is difficult.” CONTRACHARGE takes the more rocking approach to D-beat hardcore (sometimes too much) rather than the straightforward, orthodox path. The sound is raw and the songs have a “live in our practice space” feel, and it does get a little sloppy in places which I don’t mind for the genre, but don’t expect anything too fancy production-wise as they are clearly a young band having a go. I love the hoarse, aggressive vocals, and some riffs point to Scandicrust bands like UNCURBED or CONSUME (especially on the last recording) which I would say is the way to go, and on the whole it does the job well. I’ll be keeping an eye on CONTRACHARGE.