New Blood

Boston has got to have one of the best hardcore punk scenes in America right now. The new SOCIAL CIRCKLE LP is one of my favorites of the year, LYBIANS played one of the best Bay Area shows this year, there’s that NO TOLERANCE 7″, MIND ERASER and the bands associated with Painkiller have been getting a lot of attention of course, and although both BLANK STARE and RED THREAD broke up this year, I’ve been longtime fans of both bands.  This year has also seen killer demos from. among others. FOREIGN OBJECTS, CONFINES, and BLOODY GEARS, the latter of which are the subject of this week’s New Band Spotlight. Layla picked out this demo a few months back and asked if I wanted to review it, and I happily obliged:

With the ringing out of the first song’s main riff, the tone is set for these bitter, beaten-down, and captivating songs that are exceptional even by 7″ standards. This band already has a sound that’s their own, but likely draws from THE OBSERVERS and LEATHERFACE,and there’s something very Midwest about these songs as well, making me think of early ARTICLES OF FAITH and HUSKER DU. If Side A is the soundtrack to a frustrated, grey day, driven by disillusionment to live out of one’s own head, Side B it is that day’s night, as the desperation grows and all there is to look forward to is more days and nights of the same.

This demo can be downloaded at bloodygears.blogspot.com, and I believe will be pressed to vinyl soon. Let’s hope they tour in 2010!