How can a band—who, obviously, understands hardcore’s first wave, and Black Flag surfing the face of that wave—tap right into the root of that powerful, swelling force and not suffer from neither nostalgia nor just be blowing dirty, foamy bubbles of admiration for a form of music that hit our shores over twenty years ago? I have no idea, but, much like Career Suicide, Out Cold, and Government Warning, Self-Abuse has made a record that feels like it couldn’t have been made at any other time, except in the now. Plus it sounds like it’s busy carving out all of the joining tissue between the listener’s skull and face. Powerful.
–todd (Suburban Waste)