SSSP / Prima Linea

Everyone's favorite torchbearers for Oi!-influenced New York hardcore (wait...) are back, though they never really left. S.S.S.P., though they also just recently released a five-song 12" EP titled The Darker Side of Suburbia, also have this nifty picture disc split 7" with Italian Oi! fellas Prima Linea, courtesy of the same label.

S.S.S.P. do their usual thing here, playing fairly fun, moderately paced and stodgy-sounding hardcore with "Rust" and "New Arrival." "Rust" actually has a really healthy amount of melody to offset its gruffness, and though not as quality, "New Arrival" offers a faster tempo. These would probably rank somewhere in the middle if we were playing favorites with the songs off last year's For Life. The recording seems a bit rough, as usual, but you get used to it quickly.

Prima Linea play a style that isn't far off of what S.S.S.P. do, except for the lyrics being in Italian. After a slow and lulling beginning for their one contribution, "Prima Linea," they pick things up a bit with some more umph and backing "whoa"s that take the track from "eh" into "decent" territory. It does drag on for a bit too long, though -- close to five minutes, actually. Guitar solos are sweet, but it feels like there's 14 of them.

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S.S.S.P. - New Arrival