by Dan Goldin (@post_trash_)
Hellrazor has been lurking in the shadows long enough... but they're coming for you, and things may never be the same again. The CT based trio, led by Michael Falcone (Speedy Ortiz) have been releasing gnarled and distorted punk for the better part of a decade now, operating whenever Falcone has a spare minute from his busy touring schedule. This ain't no goddamn side project though, Hellrazor is a band, and a damn fine one. They've released a slew of infectious EPs * with enough primal aggression and pop hooks to give you the spins, and at long last, the time for the band's full length has arrived. In a true bit of Halloween magic, we are thrilled to share the premiere of Hellrazor's long awaited debut, Satan Smile. Due out this coming Friday, November 4th via New Professor Music (Very Fresh, Operator Music Band, LA Font), the band stick to their fuzz driven bubblegum sound with sinister charm and lo-fi production.
The record balances harsh buzzing riffs, earworm hooks (seriously, I'm not sure anyone writes a chorus quite like Falcone), and slacker grunge that blisters and pops with laid back urgency. As the title might suggest (we're not exactly sure what it suggests), this record is so raw and so vibrant it's enough to make Satan Smile. It's punk and it's syrupy as all hell, and thankfully Falcone has mastered the art of flawlessly converging the two. Joined by Julian Wahlberg (bass) and Jon Hartlett (drums), the album drifts through a world of punk and radio friendly "college rock," the type of songs that burrow themselves deep into your subconscious with no escape in sight. There's a sense of familiarity to it all (like most good pop) but Satan Smile is an expansive record that rarely stays in the same place for long.
Like an evil genius bent on (indie) world domination, Falcone and Hellrazor dive between the spaced out hum of "Nova," the menacing pummel of "Allergic," the utterly infectious "Zilch" and the blues assisted noise punk of "Sad Satan" with a loose burning disregard. Hellrazor rip through the record with a smirk on their faces and a brilliant sense of honest fucking songwriting. Don't let the word "pop" scare you, Satan Smile is still very much a punk record... a punk record with a heart of gold. The production is full of blustery hiss and the riffs are soaked in fuzzy distortion. It's pop, but it's ugly pop. The slow dirge of album closer "Hale Bopp" brings it all to a head, slugging it out for the grand finale... that is until you hit play again. Hellrazor aren't holding any punches, if anything their sense of pop splendor just forces those punches to land harder. You need Satan Smile in you life.
UPCOMING TOUR DATES:
11/03 – Amherst, MA @ TBA w/ Halfsour
11/04 – Lowell, MA @ Uncharted Gallery w/ Surface to Air Missive
11/06 – Worcester, MA @ Firehouse w/ Surface to Air Missive, Sun Young & Kiss Concert
11/07 – New Haven, CT @ Cafe Nine w/ Surface to Air Missive
11/09 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Mr. Roboto Project
11/10 – Ann Arbor, MI @ 907 Lincoln
11/11 – Champaign, IL @ Ghost Planet
11/12 – Chicago, IL @ Subterranean w/ Nnamdi's Sooper-Dooper Secret Side Project & Future Biff
11/13 – Kalamazoo, MI @ Milhouse
11/14 – Cleveland, OH @ Now That’s Class
11/15 – Columbus, OH @ Big Room w/ Tony Molina, Wildhoney & Connections
11/16 – Washington, DC @ Songbyrd w/ IAN SWEET, Two Inch Astronaut & Go Cozy
11/17 – Philadelphia, PA @ Overlook Hotel w/ Left & Right & Blue Smiley
11/26 – Louisville, KY @ The Cure Lounge
11/27 – Kansas City, MO @ Blind Tiger
11/30 – Reno, NV @ Holland Project
12/01 – Oakland, CA @ Elis Mile High Club
12/02 – Pomona, CA @ Acerogami w/ Young Jesus
12/04 – Los Angeles, CA @ Hi Hat
12/06 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Diabolical Records
12/07 – Denver, CO @ Rhinoceropolis
12/08 – Omaha, NE @ Lookout Lounge
12/09 – St. Louis, MO @ The Nest
12/10 – Nashville, TN @ DRKMTTR w/ Shell of a Shell
12/11 – Athens, GA @ World Famous
12/12 – Raleigh, NC @ Raleigh House
12/13 – Richmond, VA @ Strange Matter
12/14 – Brooklyn, NY @ Silent Barn w/ Fern Mayo
* Five years later, I remain thoroughly obsessed with Scuz Bucket and once again will attest that absolutely no one writes hooks like Falcone. Good grief... listen to more Hellrazor.