Faulty Cognitions

Reviews

Faulty Cognitions Demo 12″

Although they’re from San Antonio TX, FAULTY COGNITIONS have a ’90s(-ish) NorCal pop punk sound and a today(-ish) SoCal pop punk sound blended together—I guess into a Central Texas pop punk sound. Look, I dunno. At its core, this re-released demo tape, now on vinyl, has some memorable, humble, simple, “best pals hanging out in a basement” pop-punk-influenced songs. Undeniably catchy while both silly and heartfelt. And my golly if the final track, “Let the Kids Have the Scene,” doesn’t just hit me between the eyes. This 12” has sensation laced throughout the lyrics, quilting a perfect feeling that isn’t sorrowful or cathartic; maybe wisdom is the word I’m looking for. I could also be full of shit and it’s just a good record. You be the judge.

Faulty Cognitions Somehow, We Are Here cassette

San Antonio’s FAULTY COGNITIONS claim ’80s college rock as a foundational influence and you can hear it. especially in the excellent album opener “Sun Sun Go Away” that’s equal parts NEW ORDER and J Mascis. Overall, I find the band’s sound to be a soupier mix of alternative rock, but I don’t think that’s a bad thing. Similar to the earnestness of a band like the defunct BUGG that found its home in the hearts of punks, this is a melody-forward sound that is big on hooks and a downer vibe with a bouncy beat. It ultimately works wonders, even if the songs start to feel a bit same-y. Still, that’s part of the charm: a band with focus that can pull off the same tricks again and again and land them consistently. By the time you hear an honest-to-god ’90s alt-rock radio guitar solo in “Your Inheritance,” you ought to be hooked. I certainly am.

Faulty Cognitions Faulty Cognitions demo cassette

I have always been drawn to the sound of bands’ demos, or their first album when it’s a mish-mash of the singles and bedroom recordings, more so than polished formal studio albums. Think of the BANANAS’ collection The First Ten Years of… having way more guts and heart than the albums which followed. Maybe it’s that bit of feedback, out-of-tune vocal, or bass flub that gets left in. Often the songs are played off-speed or faster than the album that follows. Don’t get me wrong, FAULTY COGNITIONS stellar album Somehow, Here We Are is already on a lot of top album lists for 2024, but the preceding demo has a gritty charm all its own. The opener “Las Cruces” has the anthemic heart-on-sleeve spirit of SHANG-A-LANG. The only track not included on the full-length, “Thin Blue Line,” bottles the anger of the DICKS as if it’s an homage to the recent passing of Gary Floyd. “Center of the World” shifts to a proto-punk pace like the ONLY ONES. The closer, “Let the Kids Have the Scene,” laments elder statesmen observations in a MENZINGERS-like style. All of this, packaged with cassette art reminiscent of Pettibon’s work on Nervous Breakdown.