by Ben Smith (@ben_osmith)
After just six months of being a band, New York’s Cold Sweats have released their debut LP Social Coma. The trio plays a unique beast of punk rock with a diverse range in sound that goes from blasts of noise rock to blistering hardcore to fuzzed out surf punk. Cold Sweats, composed of Brandon Musa (bass/vocals), Alex Craver (drums/vocals) and Peter Ives (guitar/vocals), had all previously played together in other bands, giving Cold Sweats a certain and unmistakable chemistry that produces an incredibly tight sound for such a new band. All three members share equal song writing duties and vocals for each of the 12 tracks creating a collective and cohesive vision for the entire album that ceases to hold back at any point.
Social Coma’s opening track “The Business” starts off slow, opening with pounding drums powering a dark bass line and noisy guitars coupled over poetically moody lyricism before fading into “Coney Island Cops” the LP’s premier blistering hardcore track that creates a vitriolic cathartic release running at only 41 seconds, reminiscent of a 1980s Black Flag.
On the LP’s two breakout tracks “Hater Failure” and “Mock Me Gently” warm bass tones played by Musa follow Craver’s pounding drum lines coupled with Ives’ fierce guitar work. On “Hater Failure” noisy guitars blister over the drum beat as drummer Craver howls “Well it’s not your fault / But I blame it all on you / Because I ain't nothin’ but a hater.” “Mock Me Gently” slows the album down a bit and is pushed along by a pounding drum beat and warm bass tone coupled with the hectic and fierce guitar tones that weave throughout the entire album creating an atmosphere of nervousness and fear that aptly describes the medial condition of experiencing cold sweats that the band takes their name from.
Social Coma is one of the most brilliant punk rock releases of last year, creating an unmistakably unique and cathartic sound. Cold Sweats expertly break down the classic sounds of punk and hardcore and use their own collective vision to rebuild each and every track into their own unique creation. The album fiercely burns through 12 tracks in just under 30 minutes with something new to be found in each listen through. The bands debut was produced by Hunter Davidsohn and released by Six Three Collective last November. It will be exciting to see where Cold Sweats goes next, after a great year of playing shows throughout New York and releasing an absolutely brilliant LP over the course of just six months.