Cut Piece

Reviews

Cut Piece Your Own Good LP

This is an absolutely devastating debut from Portland’s ferocious CUT PIECE. Eleven tracks of concise punk that writhe with impassioned anger and pull from sources rarely tapped. Lightly overdriven, chorus-imbued guitars trace the perimeter of a sonic terrain that undulates with departing bass lines, desperately frenzied drums, and searing vocals, binding everything together within a unified field. A bleak coldbeat energy is co-opted by less dour anarcho and peace punk influences, like a melding of PART 1, ZOUNDS, and POISON GIRLS, piped into a modern context. Both imaginative and immediate, Your Own Good feels like a natural synthesis of vision coming from members of heavy hitters such as RED DONS and ERA BLEAK. Every cut is top-shelf, but I found myself particularly drawn to the discomfiting vibration of “Walk the Dog,” and the sax-laden closer “GUGI.” This one will undoubtedly be in heavy rotation for a good while.

Cut Piece Accept Defeat (Don’t Sabotage Me) EP

The first release by PDX city punkers CUT PIECE is a four-track vicious punk attack with a sense of urgency. Sonically, it’s somewhere along the melodic side of UK82 punk, like CHRON GEN or VICE SQUAD instead of DISCHARGE or the EXPLOITED, yet each track has its own unique musical approach. Instead of relying on naive teenage angst, there’s more complex expressions of anger and frustration. Minimal yet complex post-punk-like guitar licks tangle through the aggressive drive of drums and bass with a catchy, almost sing-along shouting vocal style.