Electric Chair

Reviews

Electric Chair / Physique split LP

For the uninitiated, it is helpful to begin this review with a bit of lore. ELECTRIC CHAIR and PHYSIQUE share a similar origin story, having begun at roughly the same time and both in the city of Olympia. They’ve shared members, lived together, played together, partied together, and in general terms, are besties. To cement their long-term friendship, they conceived this split LP, which honestly is perhaps the best punk split to ever exist. Each band plays five songs on their respective side, with ELECTRIC CHAIR bringing their JERRY’S KIDS/POISON IDEA-styled hardcore punk and PHYSIQUE offering up their FRAMTID/GLOOM-infused noisecore. The whole thing is packaged and presented by Iron Lung Records and mastered by Shige Noise Room, so the  LP is deliciously noisy and absolutely glorious when consumed at maximum volume. You may end up having a favorite side, but for me, this split delivers a complete package from end to end, with both bands presenting their best material and in turn creating a landmark recording of contemporary punk. It’s honestly that fucking good.

Electric Chair Act of Aggression LP

Olympia’s ELECTRIC CHAIR dropped their debut Act of Aggression on Iron Lung, and it has to be said, this band has chosen the perfect name—putting on this record is like getting strapped in and shuffled off this mortal coil. Stuffed to the brim with abrasive metallic punk, ELECTRIC CHAIR plays in the same vein as GERMS and N.O.T.A., with some oddball freakouts sprinkled throughout that remind me of TY SEGALL at his freakiest. Musically, it’s a dense listen; songs vanish as quickly as they appear in a flurry of violent guitars entangled with frenetic bass and drums. Vocalist Dinah Corona’s unhinged warble is mixed so low it becomes like another instrument, adding an evil vibe that permeates throughout the album. Check out “Fatal Disease Pt. II” and “Security Camera” to see what I mean. Overall, an overwhelming but fucking awesome listen.

Electric Chair Social Capital EP

Crucial hardcore in the form of a 7″ hand grenade. If you like classic USHC, get this immediately. Six songs of fast, super-pissed punk with lyrics reflecting our current dystopia. Anti-police, anti-scenester, anti-human, anti-fascist diatribes against this modern life. Check out “Life is Hell”: “Birth is violence / Life is hell / You sell your baby on the black market / I hate the way they smell.” Tough! If you have stick-and-poke BLACK FLAG bars or the DEAD KENNEDYS logo, you may want to consider a future patch of skin for a little electric chair. Have you bought this yet?

Electric Chair Performative Justice EP

Any worries I had that this EP wasn’t going to match this band’s sprawled-on-the-floor live set were eradicated by the end of the first song. On these five tracks, ELECTRIC CHAIR fuse together the freewheeling yet tough and melodic side of early ’80s Mid/western US hardcore with stripped-down and more abrasive early ’80s European hardcore (D-beat and otherwise), all filtered through the drugged vibes of the BETA BOYS, with whom they share members. Vocals like a drill sergeant who got dosed and enjoyed it. Can’t wait for what’s next.