Lower East Side Stitches

Staja98L.E.S. (NG)
by Scott Hefflon

Before you ask, I have no clue what the title is supposed to mean. L.E.S. Stitches are a punk rock band, dig? They get props from Rancid, Ramones, not to mention the people who really matter, the kids. Produced by Daniel Rey (Ramones, The Dictators, etc.), this record has a real street-level sound that fits their gritty, NYC old school style. Unlike many a pretty-sounding punkpop record released these days, L.E.S. Stitches is New York grime and decadence through and through. The word catchy comes into play here, but more in a Dead Boys way than a Lagwagon way.

This shit is gruff, nasty, and feels right at home sleeping in the gutter where it falls after a night of hard-drinkin’, fuckin’, fighting, and all the things that make life worth living. While Cali bands pine for chicks while hangin’ on the sunny beach, NYC breeds ’em tough-talkin’, resilient to your dumb-ass opinions, and born to claw their way to the top (hell, you gotta claw just to keep your head outta the sewage). Punk with an attitude, not a smile.
(61 Van Dam St. 2nd Fl. New York, NY 10013)