Punch
They Don’t Have to Believe
(Deathwish Inc.)
4.5/5
Fans of hardcore/punk have taken notice of Punch’s simple name since their inception in 2008, but now with the release of their third album, They Don’t Have to Believe (released by hardcore biggie label Deathwish Inc., which is run by Converge’s Jacob Bannon), the San Francisco five-piece will hopefully be heard by a larger cross-section of underground music fans. Hopefully because their blazing brand of fastcore with screamed vocals and sporadic moshpit breakdowns is really quite awesome.
Led by the downright hellacious screaming of vocalist Meghan O’Neil, the band rips 15 songs to shreds in 20 minutes (thus, fastcore). Fans of fast, heavy sounds with smart lyrics will love this (if you’re into Minor Threat or Black Flag on hyper-speed, this is your jam), but those who haven’t been exposed to Punch’s brand of screamy hardcore will probably run in the opposite direction. Scare your parents, scare your neighbours, scare most people…