Old Skars And Upstarts

2004 (Disaster)
by Tamara No Rules

This comp kicks ass. It’s got a little something for everyone. It’s incredibly rare I find a comp I can actually listen to the whole way through, and I can’t believe I’m going to say this, but this comp doesn’t have a single bad track. It’s one of those rare comps that you pop in, and by the second listen, you’re singing and dancing along like an idiot.

Six bands really stuck out in my mind: Butcher’s Bill‘s “This Party Sucks” reminds me of The Gotohells. The Street Dogs have only been around a couple years, but they’re gaining notoriety as one of Boston’s best new bands. It’s easy to see when you listen to “Lock and Loaded.” If you combined your favorite surf guitar band with your favorite pop punk band, what you’d have would be Die Hunns. The District is evidently one of the older bands on the comp. Even though I don’t remember ever hearing of them before, they sound vaguely familiar. D.I. has been around for quite a while, and although I didn’t always love the ’80s SoCal sound, it’s definitely grown on me. “O.C.’s Burning” is my favorite song on the comp. It’s fast paced, has a fun guitar riff, and angry lyrics.

Other bands include: The Briefs, Bothered Face, The Revolvers, Radio One, Deep Enyde, Punk Rock Vatos, Hellside Stranglers, The Briggs, The New Strange, Throw Rag, Hollow Points, NightCrawlers, Sit N Spin, Union 13, Knuckle Head, Duane Peters & Pascal Briggs, The Fuckos, The Roustabouts, The Insaints, Dollarstore Cowboys, and Monster Squad.
(www.disasterecords.com)