Nardcore Tests

Over the last few years I've picked up some great Nardcore records. For anyone who is unfamilliar, 'Nardcore' is a term that describes hardcore punk bands from Oxnard, a city that is located in Southern California, roughly 50 miles north of Los Angeles, and has a strong skateboard and surfing community as well as more than its fair share of hardcore bands, dating back to the early 80s.

Back in 2022 I picked up a compilation LP that Indecision Records released in 2020 called 'Nardcore For Life'. I really enjoyed that record and it definitely helped ignite an interest in the Nardcore scene. Recently a test press appeared on eBay and I was intent on winning it. In the end I got it, and for only $23.46 (plus postage). Like a few other Indecision Records tests from the last few years, this comes in a spray painted sleeve.

A couple of months after I picked up the 'Nardcore For Life' comp, in November 2022, I picked up another compilation called simply 'Nardcore'. The version I got was a repress on It's Alive Records, although the compilation was originally released by Mystic Records back in 1984. Well, I got a test press of this one too, and it came in a regular sleeve:

I'm really not sure which version this is a test press of. It has a 2018 date written on the labels, but also has 'Mystic' written on it. According to discogs (which isn't always right), the only pressing of this in 2018 was on It's Alive Records, not Mystic. So something doesn't quite add up. But anyway, whatever, it's still a cool find.

I Don't Like Anything

The seventh and final post in my series of recent Indecision Records releases, and I've saved my favourite until last. 'I Don't Like Anything' is the first full length by Ursula. The band hails from Southern California, and I first heard of them a couple of years ago when I picked up a bunch of Indecision 7"s. Their 'Meet Is Murder' 7" was an interesting record, and I have listened to it quite a bit over the last couple of years, but this LP really takes it up a notch.

I'm not sure why, but I love the front cover art with the skull and flowers, and I love how the splattery vinyl seems to nicely complement the flowers. The whole thing looks very pretty, which is in stark contrast to how this thing sounds.

Ursula have a sound that is hard to describe. The music straddles a few different styles, but the songs are short and generally fast and heavy, with a ferocious female vocal over the top (well, apart from the last song which is a really catchy pop punk song - apparently its a Green Day cover). Without doubt this will be in my list of favourite releases of the year, if I make one.

With Every Passing Moment

My 6th consecutive post about semi recent Indecision Records releases is a 12" EP by a straight edge band from Denver, Colorado called Time X Heist. I've started to notice a bit of a buzz around this band this year so I was keen to finally check out this record that came out last year, 'With Every Passing Moment', although my tardiness meant that the most limited colour of vinyl was already sold out.

It feels like a while since I picked up a record by a straight edge band, and this is like diving in at the deep end. The opening song starts slowly and the kicks into action with a yell of 'STRAIGHT EDGE!'... and then we're off on a 7 song ride, and whilst this isn't exactly covering new ground, Time X Heist do it really well. And let's be honest, there aren't too many bands doing this style these days, so somehow it sounds kinda fresh.

This gold vinyl version is the more common colour of the first pressing and is limited to 250 copies. I'm generally not a fan of this modern 'gold' vinyl, but this one gets a pass as it goes nicely with the cover art.

I also picked up a 7" by the same band, although I am slightly cheating by posting it here as it isn't on Indecision Records. Released by Heroes & Martyrs Records (which is the name of the ressurected label Martyr Records), 'The Unforgiving Minute' 3 song 7" came out earlier this year.

There are about 4 different colours of this 7", but this purple vinyl version (limited to 100 copies) is exclusive to Indecision.

Okay, so Time X Heist may not be the most original band I've listened to this year, but I'm really enjoying both of these records. Sometimes good old fashioned straight edge hardcore is just what the doctor ordered.

Nowhere Nearer

My journey through some of the semi recent Indecision Records releases continues with one that was a huge surprise for me. Yesterday I posted about the benefits of the Raised Wrong 12", today's post is another band fronted by John Pettibone which goes by the name of Heiress. The record is titled 'Nowhere Nearer' and is an interesting example of judging a book (record) by its cover and getting it all wrong.

When I saw the cover art for this and read the name of the band I immediately set expectations to low. I mean, based purely on these pictures, what would you think?

Within seconds of listening to one song online I was ordering a copy. This is an absolutely mammoth record. Without trying to draw any pointless comparisons to other bands, I'm just going to say that this sounds like the soundtrack to knocking your house down with a sledgehammer... slowly. I still have a couple more records to post in this series, but this is probably my favourite of the Indecision releases that I have picked up this year. And even though I had never heard of Heiress before this, and assumed they were a new band, I was surprised to see on discogs that they have been going since 2006 and have pumped out 4 other LPs in that time, which I am looking forward to exploring at some point.

There were only 300 of these made in total, with this version (clear with grey splatter) being the rarest colour out of 100 copies. There's also a less attractive grey with black splatter (out of 200), with both colours still available at Indecision store if you fancy checking this out.

Raised Wrong

Next in my series of semi recent Indecision Records releases is a 12" EP by a band called Raised Wrong. I'm not really sure whether this is a permanent band or a one off project, but no doubt that will become apparent in time.

First thing I really like about this is the 'basic' looking sleeve. I've always liked minimal designs, and the disco sleeve on this one looks great. But then I read on No Echo that they made this to look like an old Profile Records release. So there was a reason behind the design.

So this band features dudes from other bands who apparently came up with the idea for this band whilst playing the Indecision 30 year anniversary show in 2023. A year later and they recorded these songs. The band features John Pettibone (Undertow, Himsa) on vocals, Ryan Murphy (Undertow, Ensign) on drums, Ryan Donoghue (Ensign, Robot Whales) on guitar, and Dave Itow (Amendment 18, Berthold City) on bass.

Everything about this is great. John Pettibone rarely puts a foot wrong, so you know that if he's involved this is gonna be worth your time. Six songs that are around two minutes each, this could probably have been a 7", but then it wouldn't have looked quite as good in a smaller sleeve.

This Is Our Struggle

Next in my catch up of Indecision Records releases that I have been listening to lately is an example of the kind of record that I have been trying to not buy for the past few years... a discography.Or rather, as it is referred to here, an anthology.

The record is titled 'This Is Our Struggle' and is by an old San Diego band called Amenity. They were from San Diego and are regarded as the city's first straight edge hardcore band. I remember in the early to mid 90s I would see their 7"s in every record shop and everyone's collection, which was no doubt due ot the label that released them pressing lots of copies and keeping the records in print. Even though I own a couple of teir 7"s, I couldn't resist this slickly packaged 12".

Indecision pressed all of these on 'gold smoke' vinyl, which looks really nice as it was pressed at my favourite pressing plant, Erika.

This comes with a large glossy booklet with some words on the band by notable San Diego and Californian scenesters. What comes across clearly is that this band was hugely influential and important to people in Southern California who were (and still are) involved in the hardcore scene. And whilst the bookelt is well put together, but the content feels slightly limited compared to other similar projects.

This is a slightly odd record because an 'anthology' is not the same as a discography. This contains some (but not all) of the band's output, and what is here seems to be in a slightly odd order. But overall it's kinda cool to have an Amenity 12" on my shelf, as all their releases were on 7"s. The remastered songs also sound bigger and cleaner. If you've never listened to this band then listen to the song 'Breathe' and you will immediately understand why someone decided to put this together.

In The Meantime

Day 2 in my series of Indecision Records releases that I have picked up semi recently, and today I'm posting the debut full length from a Canadian band called Meantime. Whenever I hear that word in any context, I think of Helmet, but I have no idea if this was in any way an influence on their name choice.

This one came out a couple of years ago, towards the end of 2023. I remember meaning to check it out because of the band name, but I definitely don't remember thinking that waiting for the best part of two years would be the perfect time to give it a spin.

There were two colours, and this is the most limited colour of 150 copies.

This has been a really great find, and to me sounds a lot like it could have come out circa 2005. There are times this reminds me of Have Heart, but it mainly brings to mind Go It Alone, Champion and Strife. Definitely worth a look if you're into any of those bands.

Silent All These Years

My next few posts are me catching up on some Indecision Records releases that I picked up in the last few months.

I'm starting with this 12" EP by Crashing Forward titled 'Silent All These Years'. This actually came out two years ago but, as ever, I'm slightly behind schedule.

There were 300 of these made, all on this colour of vinyl, and the label still has a few left.

The band are from San Diego, and feature Oscar Paz on guitar (Impel, Kill Holiday, Hingada) and Ati Moran (brother of Rob from Unbroken) on vocals. To me this sounds vaguely similar to other San Diego bands, but also the guitar sound vaguely brings to mind moments of Black Flag or The Suicide File. This is actually really good and catchy and definitely a bit different to the average hardcore record. I think I read that they are now working on a new record and I will definitely be grab that without hesitation whenever it appears.

Another Year

Another record that I picked up on my recent trip to California, and I had paid for this a few weeks prior, so it was just sat there waiting for me to collect it from a friend when I arrived in town.

This is a test press for the In Control 'Another Year' LP. The band were from Oxnard, and I bought this from the king of Oxnard himself, Fred Hammer.

This record was released by Indecision Records back in 2001, in the days of the yellow Erika Records standard test press labels seen on many (now classic) hardcore records that are now considered classics.

I bought this from Indecision Records when it came out back in 2001. Back then Indecision was absolutely on fire, putting out stuff by bands like Count Me Out, The Suicide File, Over My Dead Body, The Promise, etc and as a result this album got kinda lost in the mix a little for me. Seeing this test press for sale made me go back and revisit this record recently, and I think it holds up really well. I also still love the artwork and vinyl colour of the regular pressing of this LP, which I took down from the shelf for the first time in probably twenty years.

So Much Seething

Towards the back end of last year, Mike posted about the new Bent Blue LP, and his words got me interested. I feel that Bent Blue is a band that I have been wanting to spend some time with for a long time, and I have never really gotten around to it. I saw them play live once a little over three years ago, which was before they had any records out, and at the time I wasn't exactly blown away... although, to be fair I didn't actually pay them too much attention. Still, Mike made it sound like the LP was a bit of step up from the previous 12"s, so I made a mental note to check them out, and then I eventually got around to it about seven months later.

The record is titled 'So Much Seething' and was released by Indecision Records in October last year. There are two colours of vinyl available - the purple I picked up (150 made) and also green vinyl (350 made). I just went with the more limited one.

Picking this up at Indecision HQ, I was also able to walk away with a test press, which comes in a nice handmade sleeve.

I only started listening to this one a few days ago, but right now this is possibly my favourite record. It does strike a good balance between 'hardcore' and the more typical DC Revolution Summer type sound. Mike talked about the song 'The Other Half', which really reminds me of Have Heart, and the song 'Your remains' really reminds me of Fiddlehead. If I were to say that this record stands halfway between both of those bands then that at least gives you an indication of whether it may be of interest or not. But right now this is ticking the boxes and is exactly what I want.

Vendetta

I picked up a few releases from Indecision Records about three months ago and had been working my way through them before my California trip last month. One record that I was enjoyng was 'Death Grip', a full length from a band called Vendetta. I'd never heard of the band before, and picked this up purely because it was on Indecision, and the bio told me that the band come from Oxnard, which has a rich history of great hardcore bands.

The title of the record and the cover art gives you a clue that this isn't some kind of melodic punk or emo record. This is a hardcore record by a band that it turns out has been going for over twenty years. Their last release was in 2007, so I guess this must be some kind of comeback record. It's mosh hardcore and it's good. It really reminds me of another Oxnard band (Retaliate) who I also really like when I want something that makes me want to feel like punhcing a wall.

The more common vinyl colour is red, which I think probably goes better with the artwork. I was sent this red with black splatter, which is the more limited colour and out of 150 copies.

So I'd been enjoying this record a few weeks before my trip, and then wHen I visited Dave at Indecision HQ and had a quick look in his record room, he dug out a test press of this record and gave it to me. I was very grateful.

I like how it comes in a simple sleeve, and how the sleeve is red to match the artwork of the record. Simple designs are always better.

Californian Ritual

On my recent trip to California, there was a day when I popped round to visit Eva and Dave at Indecision Records HQ. I needed to pick up the Power Alone test press that I wrote about in my last post, but after a short chat and a quick look around the house to see what had changed in the last three years, I also got a few minutes to grab a small handful of records.

A couple of years ago Indecision reissued the first Unbroken LP, 'Ritual'. This record was first released by New Age Records in 1993, and despite Unbroken moving their catalogue to Indecision a long time ago, this record hasn't been pressed with the original artwork since the 90s. I didn't pick one up as I am genuinely trying to reduce the number of represses / reissues that I buy, but I really liked the look of this test press in a custon sleeve and was keen to take it home with me.

I also have a test press of the original pressing of this record on New Age which I traded for nine years ago, and even though I am not the biggest Unbroken collector, it's kinda cool to have tests of both versions.

Self Fulfilling Prophecy

Somehow it was three years ago that I picked up a record by a California hardcore band called Power Alone from Indecision Records HQ and it single handedly pulled me out of a three month pop punk phase that I had been in. Man, I loved (and still love) that record so much. Heavy and political, it strongly ticks the boxes of what a hardcore punk record should be.

Well anyway, I got excited a couple of months ago when a test press appeared for sale on discogs, especially as the price was not ridiculous. The only problem was that the listing mentioned a couple of creases on the cover, so I messaged the seller to ask for photos. The front cover was fine, but the back cover had two creases which were slightly offputting. This is the photo I was sent:

Well, I was torn on what to do. I wanted the record, the price was ok, but the creases... I figured that they would irritate me for the rest of my life. But then I came up with an idea to turn the situation around. I got in touch with the vocalist of the band, Eva, and asked if I could have the record sent to her so that she could do some custom art to hide the creases. She was initially worried that she might make the cover look even uglier, but I assured her that having a personalised version that was different to the other copies would make mine superior... to me at least. So she agreed to do it, and it then tured out that the seller was someone she knew, so I didn't even have to pay for postage. And then a few weeks later, I ended up picking up the record from her when I was in California last month.

As the photo shows, the creases have been really well hidden, and I am stoked as hell to have a test press of this record, and one with such unique artwork.

Crossing Kill Creek

Another day, another test press of a long forgotten 90s band...

Automatic was a band from Louisville mainly active from 1997-1999. The band was formed by a guy named Matt Weider, who used to play in Mouthpiece, and who apparently moved to Louisville to play in Guilt and Enkindel, and then decided he wanted to do straight edge band. Initially the band was more of a studio project, with Matt on guitar, bass and vocals and someone else on drums, but it then grew into a 'proper' band. They put out three 7"s, each on different labels, and then last year Indecision Records reissued them all on a limited 12".

This test press is for their second 7", 'Crossing Kill Creek', originally released by Indecision Records in 1999. I got this from Dave who does Indecision Records. He had it listed on discogs for a few months, I had it in my cart for a few months, and then one day I decided there was no point not buying it anymore.

I bought the colour vinyl version of this record back when it came out. Here are the two copies next to each other. As you can see, the test press cover is just a black and white print of the 7" artwork.

After getting this test press, and with the release of the 12", I've been listening to this band again recently. They definitely fall into the category of 'I had forgotten how good they were'. Whilst they may have formed with the aim of being a straight edge band, they don't sound like it. If anything, they sound quite a bit like Dag Nasty. I don't usually like when people say that any band sounds like Dag Nasty, because to me only Dag Nasty sounds like Dag Nasty, but in this case I will absolutely make an exception. That's who they sound like, especially on this 7". Without doubt a forgotten 90s band that you should check out if you haven't heard them before.

Major Pain

A couple of years I went to California for a couple of weeks and knocked about at RevHQ and stayed with Dave Mandel. I'm sure I've probably mentioned it a few times. One of the people I met on that trip was a young kid called Cole, who had started working at RevHQ a couple of months prior. I chatted to him a few times and I really enjoyed his company. At the time he was 19 and really into old school straight edge hardcore. I thought it seemed pretty rare for a younger kid to be more interested in Youth Of Today, SSD and Insted than whatever bands other 19 year olds would be into. One day he mentioned he had a band called Major Pain, and then over the last couple of years I have followed the band's progress. They've played a lot in their native California, and earlier this year released their debut LP, 'Intent', on Indecision Records. I really wanted to support them, so picked up a copy of the record.

This clear with orange splatter version is the more limited colour, out of 150 copies. It's orange for Orange County. I love details like that.

There are 8 songs on here, which come in at 16 minutes total. Like a lot of records these days, I'm slightly unsure as to whether this is a full album or just a 12" EP. I guess the lines are blurring these days given that 7"s are less common and the 12" is the format of choice. Anyway, like a lot of southern Californian bands, Major Pain plays some pretty heavy hardcore. Someone said that they sound just like Bitter End, and I think that's pronbably a very fair comparison. They've also been compared to Killing Time and Outburst, and I can see that too.

I also got sucked into buying a test press for this record. I saw a pic of one posted on instagram and loved the simplicity of the front cover, with just the logo in the middle of a plain white sleeve. This is a great way to package a test press.

This record has been up there with my favourite hardcore records of the year. The funny thing is that the first time I listened to it was in the gym in a hotel in Baltimore. It was one of the eeriest places I have ever been. This gy was completely empty and totally silent, and full of equipment that looked like it had been there since the 70s. I was half expecting Jason Voorhees or Michael Myers to walk in at any moment and hack me to pieces. But this record playing in me ears had me pumped up and ready to fight. Not that I would have lasted two seconds against either of those two.

So in the last couple of years before the album came out, Indecision had released two Major Pain 7"s, both of which I also picked up.

On the left is the 'Demo 22' 7", which is (unsurprisingly) the band's demo put to vinyl. And on the right the 'Promo 2023' lathe cut 7", which contains two songs frmo the LP. Both of these came out well in advance of the LP, but obviously the promo 7" is kind of surplus to requirements now.

Indecision has a bundle offer up in their store for the LP and demo 7" which seems pretty good but probably won't last too long. You could do a lot worse.

Lotsa Potential

A couple of years ago I picked up a bunch of stuff from Indecision Records on a trip to California. One of those records was a 12" by a new band called No Plan which was, at the time, a new project started by Eva from Power Alone / Gather. During the time I was there, Eva met with the drummer from Bent Blue about joining the band, and it very much felt like this was a band in its infancy. Given that everyone in the band seemed to be in other bands, I wasn't sure it would go anywhere, but in the time since it seems that they have played a few shows and become a proper band in their own right. I guess that's how things are in California - the community is relatively small and everybody knows each other, so it's no surprise that people are starting new bands all the time.

Anyway, No Plan's debut full length, 'Lotsa Potential', came out at the end of March this year on Indecision Records. I picked one up as I enjoyed the first EP and wanted to support Eva's latest project. Having spent a little time with her in 2022, she is a great artist and I really admire that she puts a lot of effort into things that she is passionate about.

There were two colours pressed - blue (200) and orange (300). To my eyes, the orange would probably be the better match to the cover art. But I chose the blue because it is rarer, and that's still my default way of thinking. It's tough to change the habit of a lifetime.

This band sounds nothing like any of the other bands that any of the people in this band have ever been in. So bands like Retaliate, Amendment 18, Power Alone, Ursula, Stay Gold... none of them sound anything like No Plan. This record is a punk / pop punk band, with early Lookout! Records bands being cited for reference. I can see that. But this band definitely has a bit more bite that the early Lookout! bands. Overall this is a great punk record, which I struggle to play and not sing along to. Definitely one of the biggest growers of the year so far.

Abrasion

Trying to keep up with Indecision Records isn't easy these days. It took the label about 25 years to reach 100 releases, and in the 7 years or so since, there have been another 80 or so. That's basically a new release every month for seven years which is, as I said, a lot to try to keep up with. I have by no means kept up with everything, but there are a few things that I have devoted some time to.

Last year there was a 12" EP put out by a band called Abrasion. They hail from California and feature the singer of Dare on vocals. I was interested enough to check them out, and on that particular day I was definitely in the mood for some heavy metallic hardcore, because when I heard it I was all in after about ten seconds and clicking away to buy a copy.

'Born To Be Betrayed' came out a couple of years ago and is a 5 song 12". It was pressed on both purple vinyl and 'red' vinyl. I opted for the red as I figured it would go best with the cover art, althouh when it turned up it turned out to be orange. But hey, who cares right?

As I was adding it to my cart I couldn't help but notice that there was also a 7", so I grabbed one of those too. As used to be the case in yers gone by, the band started out in 2020 by releasing a 7" EP, imaginatively titled 'Demonstration'.

There were 3 different colours of this one, but (again) I went for the one that I thought went best with the artwork. And I have to say it, but this blue marble colour looks reallu, really nice. I guess that's what happens when you use a proper pressing plant.

I'm not sure that this band seems particularly well known, especialy outside of California. But if you're into the heavier end of hardcore (ballpark Disembodied Throwdown) then this could be right up your alley.