ABOLITIONIST:
At the Level of the Ear: 7”
Given the band name and picture of a kid bearing what looks like machete scars gracing the front cover, the go-to assumption was that this was gonna be a hardcore record. Instead, it’s thinkin’-man’s poppy punk, with catchy hooks, interesting arrangements and substantive lyrics, with the title track referencing the Rwandan genocide of 1994. Not coincidentally, a portion of the record’s proceeds benefit Partners In Health, which, this says, is helping Rwanda recover from that very dark period in its history. –Jimmy Alvarado (Abolitionist, abolitionist1859.com)