The RadioActivist

Yuppicide is one of those classic developmental punk bands that gained a huge following with their aesthetic and often outlandish outfits and performances despite not being particularly good from a musical standpoint or being particularly inventive when it came to songwriting. Jesse Jones’ accented British snarl gives the late '80s NYHC band a sound that more closely resembles the late '70s and early '80s Oi! scene than the burgeoning hardcore community that was spawning bands like Sick of It All, Youth of Today and Madball. The pace is a bit more stiff, errant guitar solos occasionally fill space between lyrics, and the aesthetic lacks the austerity of the reputation the scene would eventually earn. In that way, Yuppicide almost comes closer to fellow NYHC misfit kinfolk Murphy’s Law, playing around with 2-tone styles like “Ska Army,” and the sluggish “Bang Bang” among other experiments. Though generally following the chord progressions with his vocal melodies with little ...

If you thought it was an oxymoron or if you thought it was a myth, think again. If you thought it was something that could never happen, forget everything you know. It’s right here: Literate NYHC. And it’s nothing new. Killing Time have been at it for 20 years now. Killing Time, formed in 1988 as Raw Deal, have at one time or another throughout their history featured members of Judge, Token Entry, Sick of It All, Breakdown, Inside Out, Uppercut, Electric Frankenstein and Maximum Penalty, among others, and been on hiatus at least four times in two decades. Going steady again since 2005, Three Steps Back is the band’s first release since 1997’s The Method. While generally what one would expect from New York hardcore musically, Killing Time is perhaps a shade more melodic and with lyrical development that far exceeds the majority of their brethren. While some songs were penned by vocalist Anthony Comunale, some are credited to bassist Chris Skowronski, while the bulk of the lyrics were wr...