Knives Out

The debut six-song EP from Philadelphia’s Knives Out is a strictly love-hate proposition. Love, because Knives Out plies a spastic and catchy blend of eccentric hardcore punk noise that has been tragically missing in the underground since the demise of the legendary Ink & Dagger and the sorely missed National Acrobat. Hate, because it is too short (six songs in just under ten minutes), offering just enough to get you hooked, then have you fiending for more. Featuring guilty parties from I Hate You, American Nightmare, Boy Sets Fire, Damage and Christ, Knives Out offer a slightly more linear take than their forefathers, contrasting their jagged riffs, discordant melodies and agitated rhythm section with a slightly more angular construction and adherence to structures, but always knowing when it’s time to break the thread. Fleeting comparisons to Grade’s abrasive but catchy screamo isn’t unwarranted, but crossed with the metallic mayhem of Ink & Dagger’s Drive This Seven Inch Wooden Stake Through My Philadelphia Heart. The beautifully ominous artwork and the dark tales of cynicism, lost love and retribution only add to Knives Out’s morbid charm, making the wait for their debut full-length an agonising one.