This is the first release from La Escalera Records, the new label formed by long-time friends of mine and veterans of the San Diego Music scene Will Castro (B Street Hill screen printing, the band Threefoot) and Ziggy Pelayo (about a thousand local bands and Another Zeke Productions). The two of them do a lot of good things for music in San Diego and are quite earnest and sincere in their desire to keep San Diego a healthy and vibrant community for music, so I wish them both the best with the label and hope this is the first of many releases for them. On to the music…Side A belongs to Bastards Of Young, a band that I had never really listened to before, but was familiar with since another friend, Christopher Mason, put out some of their records on his own label, SwaggerCity. What I hear here I like. It reminds me a fair amount of some of the early- to mid-’90s bands that straddled the punk and indie lines, like Samiam and Seaweed. A couple of nice tunes here. As far as Success! goes, I’m not sure this is what they’re going for, but to me the songs here remind me of the kind of band you’d see pop up in an old surf or skate video comp, right between tracks by Lagwagon and Unwritten Law. Not exactly my bag. If you’re looking for a double-sided slice of ‘90s nostalgia, this record will gladly satisfy your cravings.
–Jeff Proctor (La Escalera)