I started compiling this list in blog form, adding records on pretty much a weekly basis. Some 30 weeks later I had 30 of them, I thought about going for 50 but I thought I’d be watering down the list if I just keep on adding, and I wanted to start something new. So, for now at least, this is the top 30 punk 7-inches list.

These are listed as I added them, so top 30 in no particular order.

As for the records here, I tried to not add singles off of albums, the singles here focuses on 7″ not being released off an album, most of these 7″ will be released first, and on the off-chance if re-released on an album having a recording that differ. These are mostly individual recordings on their own, not off of an album singles, because those are boring.

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Negative Approach – Negative Approach (1982)

Hardcore when it’s raw, raging, aggressive and primitive. Negative Approach comes out like a pack of bloodthirsty wolves on this one. “Can’t Tell No One” is one of the best hardcore songs I’ve ever heard. The art is pretty creepy somehow, and does very much fit the bill.

As only three of ten songs are over one minute long you’re flipping the sides fast, and when the B-side has played out it’s real easy wanting to flip back to the A-side and begin the race to finish again.

Modern Life Is War – Modern Life Is War (2002)

This is the first release by the band, preceding “My Love. My Way” (2003), and I think this has a more punk feel to it. Not relinquishing that much of the hardcore they would career. The two tracks on the A-side would end up re-recorded on the following full length “My Love. My Way”, and they kind of don’t fit in on that album, but it’s nice to see where they took this 7” to grow into what the would become.

Operation Ivy – Hectic (1988)

The first Op. Ivy EP (and first release) shows a punk band more than the ska punk band they’ve been known as, the opening song “Junkie’s Runnin’ Dry” is a straight up punk song though. After that however, the ska punk kicks in. But, “Here We Go Again” is far from their best, after that they kick in punk gear again, but then “Yellin’ in My Ear” comes on, one of the best ska punk songs ever. So yes, their full-length “Energy” may showcase them at their best, but this EP paves the way in a great way.

Discharge – Never Again (1981)

After releasing three 7″s (“Fight Back”, “Realities of War” and “Decontrol”) all in 1980 “Never Again“ comes in the next year, making it the release before the iconic “Why” (1981). While I do believe their sound was perfected in “Why” and “Hear Nothing See Nothing Say Nothing”, this seems as their best 7” release taking the band to a more fulfilled D-beat sound, and I think it rivals but doesn’t trump “Why”.

Bonus: Quoting John Heartfield: “The Meaning of Geneva, Where Capital Lives, There Can Be No Peace.” This German visual artist is behind the dove of peace impaled on a blood-soaked bayonet in front of the league of nations that prides this records cover art.

The Misfits – Bullet (1978)

The Misfits in their beginnings didn’t have the most linear of careers record wise, they recorded “Static Age” in 1978 but didn’t release it back then, so “Walk Among Us” (1982) became their first full length. This 7” was recorded and released in 1978, and so boasts some of the best songs of “Static Age” years before it’s release, a record that didn’t end up being released in it’s entirety until 1996.

So, as far as I’m concerned, this is the best Misfits record in the bands early stages (“Hollywood Babylon” as the second song on the B-side being the weak spot to me, the rest are killers).

The Dicks – Hate The Police (1980)

For whatever reason the opening lyrics “Mommy, mommy, mommy. Look at your son. You might have loved me, but now I got a gun” pops into my head more often than I suppose it should.

A band with an openly gay singer in the 80’s sporting a band with a communist style band logo with the hammer and sickle in the time of the cold war between the west and the Soviet union, and doing so in the southern parts of Texas. I haven’t read up too much on The Dicks in terms of all of that, but man, that spells controversy and then some, and then some more.

The title track stands out in every way, then on the songs following the lyrics for a band with this kind of title and logo grows somewhat weak, Floyd on vocals going “Ha ha ha ha” as a chorus with lines as “Baby, baby, won’t you take my life?” should be paired up with something equally as strong, but isn’t. It sounds good though, same goes with “Night Fever” with a more traditional punk chorus. But I’d wish the cover of the record would match it’s lyrics more than it does on those two songs. But as stated, the music itself is solid.

As for the faces pictured on the right (not left) side of the cover art I do think I know my Marxist/Communist history well enough to say it features Marx, Engels, Lenin, Stalin and Mao. As for the faces on the left side I have no idea who that’s supposed to be. It could be the band for all I know (please send me an e-mail if you know).

Inside Out – No Spiritual Surrender (1990)

The band, fronted by Zack de la Rocha (later of Rage Against the Machine) only released this one record. Not at all saying this has anything much to do with Krishna-core (forgive me for spacing out), and I’ve pretty much stayed away from the whole Krishna-core thing (but I do of course have a few examples in my record collection), guitarist Vic DiCar did leave the band to become a Hare Krishna monk (and would later found Krishna-core band “108”), and on an altogether different note Alex Barreto went on to Chain of Strength.

So, getting back to that, the lyrics aren’t really any indication of spirituality, at least to me, I see them (the lyrics that is) as pretty bland. Sure “I lost my faith, I lost my stride” gives a feel for a search of something. But I won’t pretend I care too much about the lyrics being somewhat spiritual or whatever, I don’t think they are and I really don’t think there’s too much to analyze there. Their old school hardcore is however great, I think it holds up on pretty much every account. Ranging from the opening down temped opening of “Burning Fight” to the more fast pasted “By a Thread” and finishing with the somewhat more extravagant and iconic “No Spiritual Surrender”.

The Middle Class – Out of Vouge (1978)

I’ve almost on a compulsorily manor returned to this record during the years, and I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s both easy and hard to pin this down as the first hardcore-punk record. They started the band in 1976, this EP was released by Joke Records in January 1978, and it kicks off with the title track “Out of Vogue”, it does play fast, but first hardcore-punk song? Maybe, but it’s just one song. But then it does happen again: “You Belong” kicks in even faster than the title track, so are the first two hardcore-punk songs to be recorded on the A-side of this record? I’d say yes.

Flip to the B-side in comes “Situations”, sounding like a great kind of British type punk song with a really nice touch on the bass in the intro and a stronger melodic touch. The record finishes with “Insurgence”, clearly following the faster tracks on the A-side.

So, what have we learned here? Well, “Black Flag – Nervous Breakdown” (1979) is one of the hardcore-punk “first” contenders, having released it the following year. Then there’s “D.O.A. – The Prisoner” (1978), to me not qualifying even though it’s a great punk release, not but a hardcore-punk record.

I believe “The Middle Class – Out of Vouge” is the first hardcore-punk record, “Out of Vogue” is a really great first track, but “You Belong” really kicks it into gear making this the definite fist hardcore-punk record.

The Damned – New Rose (1976)

The first 7” punk single (my beat up 7” of the first pressing on the photo) kicks off with the incredible “New Rose”, and I wouldn’t want this to be just a token entry in terms of this being a single from the following “Damned Damned Damned” (1977) album, and it isn’t. The two albums have two versions of “New Rose”, so now that’s taken care of.

So that’s a plus, although I’m not so sure the B-side with the Beatles cover of “Help” has too much of what the A-track has. It isn’t bad, and it sounds like a Damned tune, but it just strikes me as an odd choice. I get why they wouldn’t cover The Who, but really, I’d much like to see a speedy punk cover of The Kinks “All Day and All of the Night” and I thought about this for about 1 minute and I still think it would’ve been better.

Still, “New Rose” is a total banger of a song, it’s the first ever released punk 7”, and I feel fine overlooking the Beatles cover.

Black Flag – Nervous Breakdown (1979)

So as a fan of speedy hardcore-punk “Nervous Breakdown” isn’t too fast compared with “Damaged” (1981) with Henry Rollins having taken over on vocals (including when Ron Reyes took over from Keith Morris on the great “Jealous Again” (1980)), but all the same. It’s short and on point, Morris charismatic vocals, the grinding guitars showcases simple hardcore-punk almost in a Ramones style way.

The A-side features the title-track and it sets the tone in a big way, stripped down hardcore-punk with a great Morris on vocals going kind of bananas. The B-side has “Fix Me”, “I’ve had it” and “Wasted” where the songs are a little more varied compared to “Nervous Breakdown”, they all follow the same basic recipe but all add their own kind of spice and pacing to it.

All and all it’s no fluff, just plain good old hardcore-punk that does boast some of the best this band would come to produce, all on their first ever release (as well as the first release on guitarist Greg Ginn’s SST Records being founded with this release, in the immediate years following releases by Minutemen, Meat Puppets, The Dicks and Hüsker Dü).

Menace – G.L.C. (1978)

So, first of all. What’s the G.L.C. and why are they so full of shit? Well, if Menace has any say in it, seems it’s the Greater London Council who’s full of shit (as seen on the cover of course, currently the Greater London Authority.).

I’m not going to dig much deeper into that, but the lyrics are I guess are both a youthful sneer with a hint of humor and somewhat an attempt of being political in the sense that “Down a cell, live in hell” supposedly doesn’t necessarily mean the boys have all been jailed, but there seems as if there’s a problem lurking there.

The A-side is however nothing short of a kick ass punk anthem with the good old classic verse-refrain-verse-refrain recipe but done oh so well. The B-side “I’m Civilised” is just that, a B-side, the song doesn’t stand out too much but I must say a good listen all the same, and the “Civilized?… or cannibalized” verse line is a nice touch.

On another note, Menace released five 7” singles between 1977-1980 without releasing an album, this being their second, “Screwed Up” (1977) being the first one.

Born Against – Born Against (1990)

This record has one of my all time favorite openings of a punk song (“Half Hast”, more on that later on), and as far as Born Against goes this EP to me all holds their best songs released before their two full lengths came out, well way better than them. If “Janelle” would’ve been the 6^th song on this EP this would’ve been perfect in terms of this band.

So, this 7” is fast, somewhat melodic at times, chaotic at most times. I’ve always liked this record, don’t know how well liked it’s by you guys. That being said, yeah I’ve always really liked this 7” for it’s speedy mess of political left-wing hardcore-punk so here it is.

Getting back to the intro of “Half Mast”, it’s from the opening of “Face The Flag“ taken from western movie icon John Wayne’s “poetry” album “America, Why I Love Her” (1973). (A record that probably shouldn’t have been released as it’s pretty much unlistenable, but I’m sure John Wayne (if still alive) would’ve said the same about Born Against, so I’ll call it a tie but still a victory.)

Going somewhat off the rails in justifying this 7” being listed here, parts like “when freedom is in hiding from morality when you’ve finally scrubbed this great land clean of those values you hold in such high esteem“, very much makes this 7” stand out in vocalizing the bands political thought in a pretty good way, and it does continue.

Bad Brains – Pay to Cum! (1980)

The first release by this legendary Washington D.C. hardcore-punk band. With a Lo-Fi feel Bad Brains kicks in the highest gear on the A-side with “Pay to Cum”, the track seems to end almost before it begins. It’s fast (and of course super-fast in early 80’s standards). Flip over to the B-side and “Stay Close To Me” opens with some basic reggae chords that might not suck, but doesn’t quite do it for me, to then progress to a power chord chorus, and so it goes (this was to me better re-recorded on the “Omega Sessions” (1997)).

This is a one side single, as “Pay to Cum!” is cool as shit, but the B-side kind of sucks. The Rastafarian stuff the Bad Brains was into was their absolute downside if you ask me (and I’m no expert, so take this for whatever, but that to me is somewhat homophobic and anti-feminist to boot, rendering me a hard time connecting punk with the Rastafari religion).

As to the title track, obviously it has little to do with “pay to cum” in the sense of this song being about paying for a prostitute, it’s more of a paying for everything to compete kind of a societal deal. As the lyrics states, one “pay to write, pay to play, pay to cum, pay to fight”, and as it continues “the right to sing, the right to dance” finishing off with “the right is ours”.

I’m not saying these lyrics are by any means deep or in need of translation, the opposite in fact, they’re not too great and easily interpreted. I’m just stating the obvious that this is a somewhat dystopian political song, although ending on a somewhat inspiring note (“and so it’s now we choose to fight”, “a peace together, a piece apart, a piece of wisdom, from our hearts”).

Night Birds – Night Birds (2010)

At times I get the feeling that if the Dead Kennedys and early Adolecents had a kid it would’ve grown up to be the Night Birds. Stupid, of course. But as stupid as that might be, I do feel that I’m partially right somehow in that alternative reality. The Night Birds are great in their own right of course, their blend of fast (non SoCal hc-punk being from New Jersey but pretty much sounding SoCal anyway) hardcore-punk with surf-punk influences gets me every time. It’s nothing short of awesome.

This is the bands first real release, and as any band with any luck, work and skill they would progress and evolve, but this release marks an incredibly great start-off from a band that almost sounds all but having their sound down from the very get-go.

To me there’s nothing not to like here, the vocals are good (maybe not great but fits in great with these tracks so I’m close to call them great in this context), the bass are somewhat low mixed but does shine thru and is really well played, the drums are at times relaxed and at times riddled with fills, and with the obvious, the guitars a really driving part. Overall, this melodic hardcore-punk record might be the bands first 7”, but I’m sure I would’ve not change a thing.

7 Seconds – Skins, Brains & Guts (1982)

Released two years before the great “The Crew” (1984), this strikes me as a very juvenile release in terms of it’s lyrics, despite of (I guess then to be) front man Kevin Seconds being 21 at the time. The lyrics are straight forward and hold a nice message overall sure, but they’re delivered in such a crude and basic way. And yeah, 7 seconds where never an all too deep band lyrically, like most hardcore-punk bands I guess (that might’ve been harsh though), but these lyrics are just that: Somewhat juvenile.

As for the music, in spite of the overall production being not that great, this makes a great listen to, I would say especially with Kevin Seconds on vocals (with Kevin’s brother known as Steve Youth also on vocals on this release).

The last song on the b-side would be re-recorded for “Walk Together, Rock Together” (1986), marking that release’s version far more well known as the original recording.

On another note, or rather two, of the 9 songs 5 of them clocks in under a minute, on the other note, the band name was derived from early LA punk band The Dils single release “198 Seconds Of The Dils” with Kevin Seconds saying (in AMP magazine) “I wrote ‘197 seconds of The Dils,’ I miswrote the title. Over time, everything else faded, but the 7 Seconds part was there”.

The Partisans – Police Story / Killing Machine (1981)

I really like their first two 7” releases, this being their first, “17 Years Of Hell” (1982) being their second. Back then they already had their sound figured out, they would however slightly pick up the pace at times and melodies on one of my favorite punk albums “The Partisans” (1983).

Bur for this one, it’s stripped down fast British punk (I guess South Wales punk to be specific) with lyrics that aren’t too special, but the 7” is great overall.

Propagandhi – How To Clean A Couple O’ Things (1993)

This is probably my most played 7”. I can’t say exactly when I bought it, but maybe around ‘95 from the Burning Heart Records mailorder, and I would spin this on a weekly basis for like a year and from there it kept on rotating for a good while (and still occasionally does). The A-side “Pigs Will Pay” is a nice ‘gandhi song. It’s well played melodic skatepunk (although I’m not too sure the band would agree with that label). But the keeper here is the B-side “Stick The Fucking Flag Up Your Goddamn Ass, You Sonofabitch” that still is one of my all time favorite Propagandhi songs to date (and yes, that is a biased thing to say I know).

Blitz – All Out Attack (1981)

This EP was released in 1981, followed by the bands first full length “Voice Of A Generation” released the following year, being the release they would be most remembered by. Having said that, all the tracks on this EP would end up being re-recorded on that full length, including what I imagine is the most covered song by the band in “Someone’s Gonna Die.

Overall the feeling I get on the EP compared with the full length is that they’re somewhat sluggish in comparison, where the re-recorded songs have a feel of being played faster even though that’s not at all always the case. The production is however way better.

That being said, this is where the band started, and this 7” very much holds up in terms of a nice Oi (or “street punk”, a genre too generic for me personally, but I guess it’s gotten pretty self explanatory all the same) record (with the band appearing on the “Carry On Oi!!” comp in the same year (1981), a comp that was however filled up with punk bands not closely related to the Oi or skinhead scene, but that’s a topic for another time I guess).

Agnostic Front – United Blood (1983)

Early Agnostic Front gets me every time, wondering why I don’t listen to them more than I already do, especially this EP and Victim in Pain (1984). It’s the kind of fast hardcore with the obvious punk influences that plays oh so well with me. It’s nothing if not straight to the point (with some really nice tempo changes).

Luckily as seen out of a diversity point of view, only one song on this EP (“Last Warning“) would be re-recorded on the following full length, something I really appreciate.

All and all, this is fast played hardcore-punk in short bursts of fury with lyrics that at times strengthens that sound, with lines like “Talk about unity. Then talk about conformity”, spoken with conviction by a band (although the lineup has had it’s changes, sadly in some cases due to the death of some of it’s members) that’s been around for more than 40 years.

NOFX – Fuck the Kids (1996)

At the time this 7” was released the band had put down quite a few releases, including “Ribbed” (1991) all the way through “Punk in Drublic” (1994), yet this is a release hard to nail down. In terms of the sound this 7” kind of at times sounds close to a more polished version of the bands first three 7” releases between 1985-1987. Whatever the year this might place this in time in terms of sound, it’s constitutes one of those rare moments where you’d go “I wish they’d sound more like they did back then”, and BAM! This is that kind of release. To further that point, listen to this and then to “Heavy Petting Zoo” released the same year (I believe this 7” was released after that record) and tell me it doesn’t sound years and years apart.

Dead Kennedys – California Über Alles (1979)

The first release by the Kennedys and I for one have a tendency of looking too much on their later records, most notably “Plastic Surgery Disasters” (1982), when listening to this and their first album (“Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables” (1980)), which is unfair to say the least. Their sound isn’t as explosively incredible and unattainable as it would be, it would be pretty weird had it been.

The A-track marks the bands beginning and is nothing short of a killer track, political and melodic with a sharp edge. The B-side however is much more of a pretty standard punk song if it hadn’t been for the guitar on the chorus and the “And I’m gonna crack your mask” part.

Seeing as how this is the bands first release, with the A-side standing out, this is a killer 7” outmatched by few.

Gorilla Biscuits – Gorilla Biscuits (1988)

I wasn’t going to include this one, it’s one of my favorite 7” releases, but this list is getting at little too hardcore heavy at times. Especially so with a release like his one. But here we go none the less. So, this is the first release by this New York hardcore band, if you’re into hardcore you’re well familiar with this band (or at the very least recognize the band’s name), and for a reason. This might be their first release, but they’ve got all the ingredients and it’s put together into a well executed dish. Something that would be replicated over and over again throughout the years by bands to come.

The music is super-solid for a debut, even more than so, it’s fast, at least somewhat melodic at times, got all the nice breaks and the slow-downs. The lyrics aren’t too much of a read, there’s passages that I like in songs like “No Reason Why” but overall it’s juvenile but why shouldn’t it be? Sometimes viewed as a positive hardcore band, they might’ve been seen as just that, as a band, but I don’t think the lyrics fit that shoe too much on this one. Again, that’s not a complaint.

Musically, this is is a dream to me, it’s no “Start Today” (the band’s follow-up full-length release in 1989) but it’s pretty much the same thing where the full-length is more solid. And that’s not a bad thing at all.

Also I would think worth mentioning, even though Revelation Records might’ve gotten some flack in later years, this was the fourth release of the label, having previously released Warzone and Sick of it All, and would soon release Youth of Today, Bold and Judge. The band, and foremost the label, would spearhead the youth crew movement, in which GB certainly was and still is centric.

Buzzcocks – Orgasm Addict (1977) and Ever Fallen In Love… (With Someone You Shouldn’t’ve?) (1978)

One thing I might have mentioned (or should have) is that I don’t want 7” on this list where the A-track is the “hit single” off that record, and then some B-side that nobody really cares about. This is kind of a way to get around that. “Ever Falled In Love” is one of the best punk songs ever, so in that context it should be on this list, exept for the fact that it is a single off “Love Bites” (1978).

So, how to remidy that? “Orgasm Addict” (1977) was the first ever release by Buzzcocks and that 7” kicks ass. It’s no “Ever Falled In Love”, but it’s still Buzzcocks obvously at it’s their best early on. It’s great poppy punk, I might be wrong, but the following full length “Another Music in a Different Kitchen” (both full lengts where released in 1977, “Another Music in a Different Kitchen” was their first full length release) sounds a little more punky, whereas “Love Bites” sounds more pop punk. So there you have it, two records on this one.

Against Me! – The Disco Before The Breakdown (2002)

This is a one-off release by Against Me!, as “Crime As Forgiven By” (2001) and “The Acoustic EP” (2001) was pretty much lo-fi punk played acoustically (but still with songs like “Walking Is Still Honest ” and “Reinventing Axl Rose” that ended up on the bands first full length “Reinventing Axl Rose” (2002)). This is something they never quite came back to, songs without much of the punk recipe of the good old verse-refrain-verse-refrain. And so, the difference between “Reinventing Axl Rose” might not be all that big sound wise, the songs does stand out like they hadn’t done before and never did again being more linear and not that standard punk-ish.

Minutemen – Paranoid Time (1980)

This one is all over the place, is it even punk? Well, yes, or maybe? I think yes for sure. (The artwork was made by Raymond Pettibone, punk right?) Strange, yes. What stands out to me right away is the bass, then comes the rhythm, the breaks. This is a hard record to figure out, “Validation” stands out as it’s pretty punk styled. The rest of the EP is harder to pin down. They would release “Double Nickles on the Dime” (1984), and continued this weird journey. I’ve heard Minutemen compared to Wire, which is just a really bad comparison (I think). I’m thinking that “Mission to Burma” Vs. (1982) might be somewhat of a comparison in it’s post-punk. Meat Puppets in their “Up on the Sun” (1985) and Flipper with “Generic Flipper” (1981) comes to mind as well, but I would argue the Minutemen is their own weird machine. It’s kind of like punk on some weird drug that screwed it in a way where this was the result.have the first pressing of it, and “New Rose” is a real killer of a song. So yeah, it made this list for sure.

One Man Army – She’s An Alarm (2012)

The opening song I.T.I.A.L.S. is nothing short of an awesome punk song with some great layers to it. It’s not linear, builds up nicely, got some nice breaks, some really nicely played melodic punk, and ends out with a great guitar powered outro. And, on top of that comes Jack Dalrymple’s vocals. Man, this hits the sweet spot with me.

Obviously I got hung up on the first song, so, this band released their first full length record in 1998 (“Dead End Stories”) and this is their last record. Released in 2012. As for the remaining three songs, they’re simple and kind of fast and melodic (listen to “Plastique”), kind of low temped with simple drumming still with nice melodies (“Any Minute”) and really melodic and kind of varied (“I Got Hung Up”). Overall, this really is a super solid release, too bad it’s their last (?). I could listen to this a bunch of times (I have) and not get bored.

Regulations – Destroy (2003)

This EP kicks off with guitars that are kind of half distorted, reminds me of Dean Dirg, PlasticHeads and Carbonas. It’s fast but melodic, doesn’t really sound like a record released in 2003, I’m thinking it sounds like a 80’s record from a Germs inspired band. That’s obviously not the case though, and mentioning Germs is a pretty bad reference (but I must say that the song “Untitled” does have some resemblance to the riff in “Germs” – “Lexicon Devil”).

This is a relentless hardcore-punk 7” from Umeå northern Sweden. It’s fast and nice, musically driving punk, great on the cymbals at times, great fast riffs. This is great harcore-punk front to back.

Gorilla Angreb – Gorilla Angreb (2004)

This Danish punk band is kind of hard to pin down somehow, and that’s a very good thing. This is their first release and sound wise, if I’m to compare their sound with another band, I’d say that they sound a little bit like “X – Los Angeles (1980)” kicked into the 2000’s of Denmark with that early not too distorted guitars kind of The Jam-style but played much faster. Sounding like whatever band, this one holds up super well on it’s own unique merits of course.

So yes, It’s nice to hear a band that stands out, Gorilla Angreb does, the vocals of Mai and Peter completes one another and one obvious comparison to me as a Swede would be (sound wise contemporaries The Vicious but more so) Masshysteri. But enough with that. Punk sung in Danish is a plus (even though Danish sounds kind of weird to me as a northern Swede being similar to Swedish yet kind of hard to understand at times), I really like the fast and pretty basic but melodic guitar riffs and the low distortion, the bass follows along real nice with some nice patterns of it’s own here and there, and the drums have some super nice high-hat based patterns as well as more active ones.

Overall a super solid Danish punk 7”, and the first record from Denmark on this list (took a while I guess). (As a side note, “Gorilla Angreb” translates to “Gorilla Attack”.)

Masshysteri – Monoton Tid (2008)

There are very few Swedish bands on this list, in fact there are currently one at the time of me writing this (Regulations), and no Swedish speaking ones. In comes northern Swedish band Masshysteri from Umeå. One of my favorite punk bands from the first time I heard them. The dual vocals with guitarist Robert Hurula and bassist Sara Almgren are nothing short of fantastic, the choruses makes it’s way into the verses in a way that I really love. It’s fast and really catchy, melodic and vocally driven. The lyrics are somewhat straight forward from a punk perspective, but I get a sense of urgency and sincerity in them, and maybe it’s me hearing my own native language from my neck of the woods that makes it somewhat more real. All the same, super great first 7” of this band and hopefully something non-Swedish speakers can enjoy (I’d be highly surprised and slightly offended if it wasn’t).

D.R.I. – Dirty Rotten EP (1983)

I was somewhat hesitant to add this to the list, half the time I don’t know what’s going on here. First of all looking at what it is in plain sight, 22 songs in 17:38 minutes, having only four songs clocking in over 1 minute. Obviously this is a 33 rpm record to fit these all in, despite of the running time of the individual songs being as short as they are.

Backing up a little, their first album “Dealing With It!” came in 1985, this is their first release however, and it’s way more unpolished compared with their first album, as said filled with songs under one minute long. When you get going it’s songs are like a primitive shotgun blast that misses some parts of your body but still hits enough to wound you, of fast hardcore punk.

I’m not too sure it’s 22 songs (A side has 9 songs, B side has 13) printed on a 7” is that great of an idea, more like it’s a slightly insane one, with music to match however. If you like fast hardcore-punk in a pretty weird, and in that for what it is an original package this is for you.

Myself, I would’ve stripped this down to it’s best 10 or so songs, but maybe I wouldn’t been writing about it? So somehow it’s strength is all of these tracks assaulting your speakers all in a row, it does make this release stand out.

To me this is highly enjoyable, and they do slow down a little at times giving this some variance, for a few seconds.