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Hi and thanks for reading. I feel like we are swimming in hot new releases at the moment, and it was hard to pick just one to write about. Even though I had absolutely no anticipation for this debut cassette from UNIFORMED SERVICE, I have decided to write about that today. When I say I had no anticipation, I just mean I knew nothing of this band before we got their tape in stock. It initially caught my eye when I was filing away hold piles and I kept seeing the UNIFORMED SERVICE demo tape pop up in orders. The j-card had a pretty old school feel to it. The way they outlined shit on the flaps and left the back flap blank felt especially classic to me. The insert looked like a HEADCLEANERS rip to me for some reason. It looked cool. Now, just cos something is a hot seller, it doesn’t mean I am going to like it. I usually end up checking shit out we are selling like mad, but I often think it’s just some overly hyped band that I have no interest in. Sorry to be so blunt. Anyways, the tape struck up some interest, but still not enough to check it out, haha. I’m stupid like that. Later that day, I saw Al Quint had posted some pictures online from a gig. I didn’t read the caption from the post, so I had no idea what bands I was looking at. He often posts old pics, too, so I really had no idea. As I flicked through the photos, I see Brian from SAVAGEHEADS / BKB holding a guitar. I’m a huge BKB fan (like most), so went to the caption, and I discovered it was pics of UNIFORMED SERVICE. Damn. No wonder why so many people were grabbing this, haha. I made my order for the tape like immediately and looked for a rip on YouTube.
So, if you know SAVAGEHEADS you know what you’re in for when it comes to UNIFORMED SERVICE—catchy hardcore played in an anthemic UK82 fashion. While the songwriting is simple, it’s the execution that really makes this tape stand out. I am especially a sucker for recordings that are made with the 80s in mind. This tape was recorded by Mark from Active-8/THE MASSACRED, but if you didn’t know that, you might be fooled into thinking you just stumbled across some old ‘80s band. I think the sound of the kick drum is perfect, which is one of the hardest things to get to sound nice and natural when you’re recording drums. The tape was released by X-Ploit Tapes; I’m guessing this is Brian’s label, but I have no idea. They did a few releases like 10 years ago, and he was in most of the bands. I don’t think the demo tape is something that will die, as long as hardcore punk is around. I know I am getting older and there have been one or two, shit maybe even three, waves of young punks since I felt like I was one of them myself. And the thing about getting older is that things change. The young punks do some shit so different than I would. Some things I don’t agree with, but who cares? It seems young punks are much less about gatekeeping, which is great. When I was a kid, it was like you had to endure a hazing from the older punks to be accepted. Anyways, the youth may approach things differently as time goes on, but I still see demo tapes being released like mad. The quality of the tape always varies, but it means a lot to me that they are keeping the demo tape alive. I even see some kids making bootleg mixtapes and shit like that. It’s so cool.
Now, when I say the quality of tapes these days varies, I mean a lot of things. Of course, there is the super shitty sounding home-dubbed demo tape that was likely made in a rush before a weekend tour. These are great because they really capture the time and place of the band. It was made by them, by hand, in a small number. Sometimes these tapes end up being like historical artifacts, haha. Personally, I hate it when I buy a tape and it sounds like shit. It doesn’t have to sound like that. Now there’s the flip side—when everything is way too pro. I see so many tapes now that are shrink-wrapped. What the fuck? I mean, I get like you made a tape version of your LP or something, and maybe you shrink-wrapped that? Maybe? Haha. Maybe I am too critical, but to me a tape seems like a pretty DIY thing, so when your production is so professional that the end result is shrink wrapped, it seems like an oxymoron or something. I can go on forever about how I think a tape should be made, but I am just gunna stop while I am ahead, haha.
I should probably wrap this one up, but there are a few more things I wanted to point out. First, the tape itself sounds good. I bought one and played the hell out of it. It’s single-sided, so I’m guessing it was a home-dub? Home-dubs are some of the best in my opinion. The equipment just needs to be in nice working condition, and your original/master obviously needs to sound nice and clear. So, one thing that really stuck out to me in the pics from Al Quint was that Brian was singing and playing guitar at the same time. That’s no easy task, and I have a lot of respect for bands that really maximize what they can do with fewer people. I was chatting with Mark from Active-8 briefly, and he told me he was gunna join the band on guitar later this year. While the 3-piece look will be ruined, I’m guessing the intensity of the band will be amplified, as Mark is a beast. The last thing I wanted to point out is this tape is only $5. Wow, haha. That is so sick. That means they sold em to us for so cheap. Like cost? We sell SCARECROW tapes for five bucks at the merch table, and there’s like room for one dollar in profit or some shit. The $5 tape is an endangered species with everything getting more and more expensive each year. This was just another reason for me to love this tape. When I began writing this, we had like 15-20 in stock still, but I just checked and now it’s like 5 or less. I’m sorry if you’re reading this and it’s sold out. If not, better buy fast! Cheers and thanks for your support.