Even in the midst of opening up a brand new brick-and-mortar space, Neon Taste has continued to put out some of the best new punk music out there. One of their latest, CLOSETALKERS’ 7” Path To Peace, has quickly become one of my favorite releases of the year and may include my favorite song of the year. It’s a big claim I know, but as it stands this Calgary three-piece holds the top spot.
On Path To Peace, the band plays hardcore punk inspired by 80’s Japanese hardcore, UK crust, and some Scandinavian D-Beat goodness sprinkled on top, the same winning formula as contemporaries like WARTHOG, PUBLIC ACID, and STINGRAY. On these six tracks the band perfectly executes this style, from the evil vocals on “Power”, massive fuzzed-out guitars as well as sinewy creeping guitar work on “Inferno”, and galloping drums that are truly the star of the show on every track here. I can’t give enough praise to the mid-tempo 2-step stomp of “Prison” and “Adjacent” is a perfect 30-second slammer, one I’d probably use as an introduction to the genre for someone who’d never heard it before. And finally, my current favorite track of the year, closer “Narc”. This song is so good, from the ominous rhythm-section-led intro to the full-throated refrain “Get the fuck away from me!”. I can’t get enough of this shit. If this is a taste of things to come from CLOSETALKERS, we’re all in for a massive treat when an inevitable LP drops.
Checkout “Path To Peace” on Neon Taste Records, available now.
