George Crustanza George Crustanza cassette
Does anyone remember the ’00s band CRUSTINA AGUILERA? They had a hilarious name and played top-shelf snotty anarcho-punk, and since the GEORGE CRUSTANZA moniker immediately reminded me of them, I thought I might be in for a good surprise. I was expecting straightforward, energetic, political, fast hardcore punk, and once again my punk radar was right—I have not been disappointed, to say the least. Despite the pun, GEORGE CRUSTANZA from San Francisco is not a crust band, although they do have some käng influence and are able to pummel the shit out of the casual listener if necessary. The band can switch from a fast primitive hardcore beat to a stomping mid-paced one and then conclude on a D-beat, all in 90 seconds. They are versatile and very much in tune with the modern school DIY hardcore music in that respect. What I appreciate here is that they don’t hide behind dozens of pedals and mountains of effects (which I increasingly tend to find rather distracting instead of engaging) in order to accomplish their punk mission. It is direct, unpolished, energy-based, and it works perfectly. I love the female vocals here, angry but still keeping a snotty sense of tune. Overall, a very enjoyable tape.
