EP 270: 2015
Our favorite hardcore punk songs of 2015.
Killer episode this week on the pod. Check it out here, here, or here and check the playlist here. There’s also a monster 2015 Youtube playlist here.
2015 was a great and pretty notable year for hardcore. It saw the final releases from No Tolerance, The Rival Mob, and Violent Reaction - three of the heaviest hitters playing roots hardcore. On the flip side, it was the year that the new wave of French Oi! aka FrOi! really kicked off with 7”s from Rixe and Syndrome 81, as well as the Coupe Gorge demo. The G.L.O.S.S. demo took the scene by storm in the best of ways. Concealed Blade’s demo added to the argument that Pittsburg was a hardcore hot spot, a claim that releases by No Time and Blood Pressure began making in the couple years prior.
My band, Retaliate, put out a 7” in 2015 so shoutout me and shoutout Dan for his sick ass pick.
It’s fucked up to think 2015 was a decade ago. Outside of the popularity explosion coming out of COVID-19, hardcore really hasn’t shifted that much in the last 10 years. Dump any of the bands below into present times and they’d still fit right in.
Here are our picks:
Digging into mine…
The Rival Mob “Speak With Power” If You Listen To Fools… cassette Trash King Productions
In recent years, The Rival Mob have been elevated to legendary status by the youth and for good reason. The If You Listen To Fools… tape was their final release, made for their five date 2015 tour of Australia. It’s kinda sad how quaint it seems that a now-legendary band’s final release was a four song tape recorded on a 4 track, with no months long rollout or no giant merch drop. Truly hardcore for hardcore. The tunes on here are right in line with their LP from two years prior. In fact, it sounds just as fresh and raging as their demo from eight years prior.
I took the first track off this tape. It’s pounding toms into a blazing fast part, then breakdown #1, tom build, and ending on breakdown #2. Sick formula. Sick song. Sick band. They deserve all the accolades bestowed upon them.
Rixe “Larmes De Crocodile” Coups Et Blessures 7” La Vida Es Un Mus
We talked Rixe heavily on episode 260 of 185 Miles South so hit those archives. This is probably the song and riff of the year. So catchy, so meaty, so simple in the best way. The drums kick in with some tom work before we get the bass plucking away, which is then peppered by guitar ringouts. When it all kicks in on the verse and the drummer switches to the hi-hat, it’s one of the thickest sounding numbers and proof that E-standard is still boss. “Larmes De Crocodile” and the title track of the 7” are the best one-two punch in the in the Rixe catalog, even if “Hexagone” is probably my fav Rixe tune these days.
Syndrome 81 “Chaque Jour” Désert Urbain 7” Destructure Records
Paris’ Rixe sound super stripped down and burly, but Brest’s Syndrome 81 tracks are soaked in melody and can provoke feelings of melancholy, sadness, or retrospection depending on the day they hit you. Why? Who fucking knows, I can’t write this shit and don’t really enjoy talking about feelings. They pack so much emotion into these tunes that they transcend language barriers to unite non-posers worldwide. “Chaque Jour” is my favorite of their early material, an absolute modern classic that sums up the band better than any shitty paragraph I can write so just smash that Youtube play button above. If it whets your whistle, then go ahead and jam their 2022 masterpiece, Prisons Imaginaires. You can thank Posi-Chris later.
Concealed Blade “Wage Slave” Demo 2015 cassette Braddock Hit Factory
Many folks have asked, “What would happen if you blended top notch roots hardcore with a plethora of dive bombs and wammy bar worship?” Concealed Blade answered the question - it would rule. Now I’m sure that if someone wearing a scally cap read this they’d spit out their chowda and maybe even call me a slur, but this is as good as No Tolerance or The Rival Mob. It’s firmly A-tier for the genre and while I love their LP too, this style is almost always best in EP format. “Wage Slave” kicks it off and it’s one minutes and fourteen seconds of old school hardcore fury. The verses sound like SS Decontrol, there’s a big chorus hook, then it hits into a mosh with the guitars going ham over the top of it. Hell yeah. All seven songs go hard. This thing is a legit modern classic.
Tozcos “Mundo Artificial” Existencia Aturdida 7” Verdugo Discos
I didn’t hear this song in 2015. I had never even heard of this band until their 2023 LP came out and I liked the LP cover so much that I jammed it. It was totally killer so I had to check out the rest of their catalog. Being their first record, this is the most stripped down version of the band in their discography. The only comparison that I saw listed anywhere was Svart Framtid. That seems pretty apt and I’d add the more aggressive side of the early Appendix catalog or the Bannlyst 7”. It’s raging, super bass-forward, and has a crucial vocal attack on the top of everything.
“Mundo Artificial” is the least aggressive song on the 7” but as the outlier, it’s also the most memorable. It sounds very similar to what Rixe were doing in the same year with the bass way out front, pummeling all the way through this 67 second banger. That’s another appeal of this early material - the absolutely unapologetic brevity. Killer band that I’m pretty gutted I missed while they were active.
Vaaska “Policia” Todos Contra Todos Beach Impediment
Vaaska is a band from Austin, TX comprised of dudes who played in the underrated band Sacred Shock and shared members with The Impalers. With that info in your pocket, you know they’re going to kick ass but you don’t necessarily know how catchy they’re going to be. Between 2009 and 2019, Vaaska put out three 12”s and a slew of 7”s. I don’t know what is considered their classic material, but I like this full length significantly more than the other one and the song “Policia” is as universal as punk songs come. It’s noisy, infectious d-beat with a memorable chorus and a killer lead that’s out in under two minutes.
Terror “The Solution” The Twenty Fifth Hour Victory Records
I dunno what’s up with the graphic above with the kid screaming and the Terror logo stamped on it, but “TERROR” seems about right. Take the kid outside and let me enjoy my yellow curry tofu in peace, you selfish fuck.
But about Terror the band…yeah, it’s always a good year for hardcore when Terror puts out a record. They’re a great unifier. You went to a Terror show and didn’t have a good time? You’re the problem. In 2015, Terror put out their 6th 12”, The Twenty Fifth Hour, and this song is the best song on it. The verses hit that slow-fast tempo where Terror often sounds their beefiest and then the choruses hit abrasively with a big mosh and a nice vocal hook over the top. It’s just verse-chorus-verse-chorus (x2)-out with a nice switch to the ride for the final chorus section. Perfect two minute banger. Respect.
If you enjoy the podcast or this blog, here are the ways you can support:
Spread the word
Like/rate/review the podcast wherever you listen to it
Become a Patreon. The patreons have been keeping this project a live for over six years.
Become a paid member on Substack. I get it. You’re loyal to Substack and Patreon feels OnlyFans-adjacent. Supporting on here also gets you access to all the archives (anything over a month old).
Recurring payment-adverse? There’s always this.
Thanks for the support!
I play in a band called SUBVERSIVE INTENT. Jam the demo here, here, or here and buy the tape here. If you live Southern California, we are playing on November 8th at the Print Shop in San Diego.
- ZN
Nice! BTW Crucial Response is finally on Bandcamp woop
Chris and Dan nwck and neck for the win