Hardcore punk band SARUSHIBAI from Gunma Prefecture has released their new album on CD with Malaysia’s Black Konflik Records. From what I gathered, this is so-called “Showa-style Japanese punk,” which finds inspiration from bands such as the STALIN, ABURADAKO, and DEFORMED CHILDREN, but with a wider range of influences, mainly US-based labels like SST and Alternative Tentacles. A good pick for fans of intensity and melody-drenched hardcore.
With optimistic fire, SARUSHIBAI plays catchy hardcore like if you mixed TOY DOLLS with the COMES, DEAD KENNEDYS, the STALIN, KURO, and SHOWCASE SHOWDOWN. Everything seems to have a sing-along style to it while being wildly fast. The song titles have me terribly intrigued: “Forest of Lies,” “Full of Lies,” “Bottomless Swamp Side,” “Distorted Landscape,” “Is It Dawn Yet?” This LP is incredibly fun to listen to but seems dripping with intelligence and purpose. Like if SPARKS or T. REX was a punk band, you might get something like SARUSHIBAI. Sometimes sounding like the SAINTS, sometimes sounding like STEELY DAN, SARUSHIBAI always sounds like themselves. Super cool and trippy new direction in hardcore, for you, from Japan.
