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ARE YOU STUPID? Get ready to find out! This DC group of young guns are taking the IQ lower than a limbo pole. Playing punk hardcore inspired by greats such as Cülo and School Jerks, they are part of the new wave putting a capital P in punk. And to top it off with is the deranged leads played by inimitable Daniel Peña (of Rashomon, Kombat and Pure Disgust nonetheless) This seven inch is a wild ride, so hold on and get ZTUPED.
Our take: Esteemed hardcore label 11PM brings us another banger, the debut vinyl release from Washington DC’s Ztuped. The fittingly titled Are You Stupid? really begs this question of the listener. The label’s description compares Ztuped’s music to the lowbrow, drug-addled punk legacy of bands like School Jerks and Cülo. Drugface, whose art has graced several Cülo record sleeves, has even lent a killer illustration for the cover art on this EP. But contrary to the low-IQ hardcore the band name and artwork suggest, it becomes clear very quickly when listening to this EP that Ztuped are too intelligent for their own good. Don’t get me wrong; the hardcore contained within goes off the rails. Still, what I hear is a bunch of young ragers who know how to construct interesting songs. And despite all the chaos, the turbulent riffing and neck-break speed drumming are executed with such airtight precision that it’s difficult to describe what I’m hearing as “dumb.” Cülo were proper mutants whose antics felt deserving of their own Saturday morning cartoon. Ztuped come across more like queer punk cyborgs designed to lead all of us jaded, belly-scratching neanderthals into the future—which admittedly also sounds like an amazing cartoon. Again, you have to ask yourself, “Are You Stupid?” Yeah, especially if you don’t buy this record.
Our take: Esteemed hardcore label 11PM brings us another banger, the debut vinyl release from Washington DC’s Ztuped. The fittingly titled Are You Stupid? really begs this question of the listener. The label’s description compares Ztuped’s music to the lowbrow, drug-addled punk legacy of bands like School Jerks and Cülo. Drugface, whose art has graced several Cülo record sleeves, has even lent a killer illustration for the cover art on this EP. But contrary to the low-IQ hardcore the band name and artwork suggest, it becomes clear very quickly when listening to this EP that Ztuped are too intelligent for their own good. Don’t get me wrong; the hardcore contained within goes off the rails. Still, what I hear is a bunch of young ragers who know how to construct interesting songs. And despite all the chaos, the turbulent riffing and neck-break speed drumming are executed with such airtight precision that it’s difficult to describe what I’m hearing as “dumb.” Cülo were proper mutants whose antics felt deserving of their own Saturday morning cartoon. Ztuped come across more like queer punk cyborgs designed to lead all of us jaded, belly-scratching neanderthals into the future—which admittedly also sounds like an amazing cartoon. Again, you have to ask yourself, “Are You Stupid?” Yeah, especially if you don’t buy this record.