Dark Times No Hope / The Early EPs LP
Eleven years after their first release, Sheep Chase has remastered all three early EPs from the no wave/hardcore group DARK TIMES. The album doesn’t present the EPs chronologically: the order comes second, third, and first released. First, we hear the self-titled 7” (or Skull), coming in with my favorite track “Distrust” for its belabored and repetitive heavy rhythm (which I came to hear as their trademark sound). Sandwiched in the middle is the Girl Hate 7” that came out a year after the others, yet feels like it’s matured more than that. The songs are tighter, shorter, and catchier—check out “Waste.” Last up is their self-titled demo cassette where you can see the no wave and hardcore influences more separated between songs, as in the 40-second “Dead Meat” blaster, followed by the more ambient four-minute “Worlds Away.” If you, like me, missed this a decade ago, check it out now!