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Tasty new 7” from Bristol’s favourite chain gang, Perp Walk. Giving you the fast and stompy hardcore to make sure that the only “walk” you’ll be doing in the pit is the TWO-STEP if know what I’m saying?!
The Perps have explored their options with these three tracks to break the meat and potatoes hardcore format. Longer songs that give ya a more complex song structure - mixing up song dynamics to keep ya guessing what is coming next, and there’s even a homage to the B52s.
EP closer The Gavel is a primo example of Perp Walk’s potential - it’s got swagger chopped up with straight up speed, and then an end section that comes at you hard with guitar leads feeling like something Fucked Up may have done at their peak in 2006. If you don’t want to walk too far from the righteous path of chain hardcore but your heart tells you that there must be more to the mosh in 2023, then you might be ready to dip your crusty ass into the refreshing pool of the Perp Walk.
Our take: Second EP from this Bristol, UK hardcore band, like its predecessor arriving on the Crew Cuts Records imprint. Judging by the number of copies we’ve seen heading out the door at Sorry State, plenty of Americans are hip to Perp Walk, and it’s easy to see why they’ve generated interest abroad. Perp Walk reminds me of Bib because their songs primarily revolve around huge-sounding, mid-paced riffs that strike a balance between “inciting violence” and “left of center.” The riffs are simple-sounding but never dumb; “Penitent Man” even reminds me of the pop dirges on Nirvana’s Bleach. “The Gavel” starts with a more metallic sound that might make you think of the Cro-Mags, but the song’s rhythm won’t quite let you skank your way to that glorious guitar lead at the end. Perp Walk’s music is heavy, hooky, and smart, and while it’s steeped in hardcore’s history, it doesn’t sound bound by it. Excellent stuff.