NEEDS Going for Adds

Vancouver’s hardcore five-piece NEEDS presents a grown-up soundtrack to teen angst by tackling destruction, emotion, and the current state of the world in a way that is raw and heavy, stylized and self-aware. Menacing yet melodic, intelligent yet terrifying, the songs on the band’s self-titled debut album are forceful, evolved, deliberate, mature, and often humorous in a way that belies the hardcore classification.

The album marks the third time the band has worked with producer Jordan Koop. Unlike the previous sessions which were recorded live, the band focused on slowing down, polishing, and enhancing every song on its own. The resulting record, mastered by Paul Gold at Salt Mastering (Viet Cong, Animal Collective, Grizzly Bear), kneels before fuzz and distortion to take listeners on a ten song journey through suburban doldrums, urban renewal, the idiocy of punk music, a smoke break, decay, and despair.

“I love this band. For its chaotic, full-throttle rock. For its world view — a mix of sweet idealism and brooding cynicism — and for its self-deprecating sense of humor.”
– NPR

“There’s something invigorating about this band that’s difficult to convey without listening to them—it’s a genuineness that most punk bands have abandoned today in favor of paint-by-numbers tropes.”
– VICE

RIYL: Nation of Ulysses, Trash Talk, Fucked Up, Fugazi, Les Savy Fav, Wipers, Bad Brains, Big Black

Recommended Tracks: Track #7 “We Forgot the Records to Our Record Release,” Track #1 “Rescue Don,” Track #2 “Walk, Cycle, or Take Transit Like Jehu,” Track #3 “The Only Good Condo is a Dead Condo,” Track #8 “The Accursed Share”

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Going for Adds 5/11 & 5/12

Canadian Content

Label: File Under: Music