The Faith

Some of the earliest roots of hardcore punk can be traced back to the Washington, DC scene of the early '80s and its ferocious teenaged inhabitants, such as the Teen Idles and S.O.A, featuring Ian MacKaye (Minor Threat, Fugazi) and Henry Rollins (Black Flag, Rollins Band), respectively. The Faith were a by-product of their hometown predecessors, fronted by MacKaye's younger brother, Alec, and featuring ex-members of Rollins' S.O.A. Although quintessential to the movement, their discography is thin, debuting with a split alongside Void and ending with the Subject to Change EP upon their demise only two years into their career. Luckily, Dischord has brushed off the cobwebs and made the aforementioned release available once again, adding the Faith's first demo recordings. Although remastered, every bit of youthful aggression comes across just as raw and nasty as it did almost 30 years ago, with speedy tracks like "Say No More," "You're X'd" and "No Choice" still possessing the ability to make listeners clench their fists in defiance. Although the salad days of early hardcore are long gone, Subject to Change is as nostalgic as it is refreshing, and the fact that its reissuing makes it available to another generation to discover and, hopefully, relate to is the epitome of punk rock.