The fearsome, grimy, basement-ready New Jersey punks Gel are one of the greatest bands on the current hardcore landscape — which is saying something, since, as you may have heard on a recent podcast, there are a lot of great bands on the current hardcore landscape. Today, Gel have followed up their nasty 2021 EP Violent Closure with Shock Therapy, an excellent new split with the chaotic Romanian punk band Cold Brats.
We’ve already posted two of Gel’s four songs from the split, “Mental Static” and “Predominant Mask.” Both rule; you need to hear them. But you also need to hear the other two Gel songs, “Vibe Fucker” and “Guided Meditation” — and not just because it’s extremely cool to hear back-to-back songs called “Vibe Fucker” and “Guided Meditation.” Gel just rip like that.
I’m less familiar with Cold Brats, but their style is messier and more rock ‘n’ roll. The four Cold Brats songs on the split sound like someone barfing up a combination of Kool-Aid and corn liquor over sped-up Dead Boys riffs in a basement that stinks like rat turds. Good stuff! Listen to the split below.
The Shock Therapy split is out now on Convulse Records.
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