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Tuesday, April 23, 2013

REVIEW: Hoax - Caged/Sick Punk 7" (La Vida Es Un Mus, 2013)



Massachusetts mystery punks Hoax really took the hardcore world by storm with its first handful of releases and the band’s volatile and violent live show. Releases on Deranged, Youth Attack, and Painkiller polarized Hoax: either you love them or despise them. Most recently, the band issued the “Caged” single with “Sick Punk” as a b-side through La Vida Es Un Mus.

The first thing to note is the production value. While not as abrasive and blown out as the band’s Painkiller EP, the sound is still fuzzy but not distorted enough to distract (this was my case with the Painkiller EP: I absolutely hated how distorted the final product was I couldn’t get into the album itself). “Caged” starts off with a chunky bass intro leading into an evil mid-tempo barrage of hatred and venom. The song barely makes it over 90 seconds, pogoing along in the same pace for the duration of the song. As the record is flipped, “Sick Punk” smacks the listener right away with the signature Hoax feedback, right into a demented and malevolently fast segment that sounds akin to classic east coast 80s hardcore. The song twists and turns between fast and mid-tempo parts and also keeps it short and sweet, containing itself right around a minute and a half like its A side companion.

While the two songs contained are good, and I think a step up from the release before it, “Caged” and “Sick Punk” fail to maintain the attention of the listener like some of Hoax’s earlier releases did. The band has seemingly traded in its blistered mosh-inducing hardcore for a more deranged punk sound, which is a fine direction to go in, but if you’re looking to mosh, stick to Hoax’s older material.

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