No Sector Mercury Poisoning EP
Not to sound hyperbolic, but NO SECTOR’s Mercury Poisoning is in my estimation a perfect EP—a tight mixture of international hardcore elements that doesn’t waste a moment of its nine-minute run time. Hailing from Wellington, Aotearoa, NO SECTOR masterfully blasts through six catchy tracks that smack with UK82-inspired fury and heavy anarcho-punk themes. Sonically, NO SECTOR is relentless, with buzzsaw guitars intertwined with floor-shaking bass and drumming that rattles and rolls with chaotic precision. Lyrically, the band continues on the path set forth by many who have come before them, painting a picture of modern society that is anything but glamorous, delivered with a perfectly deadpan style that occasionally boils over in a rage. Everything from rotten housing to rotten government to rotten food (on standout “80HG”) is touched on, with NO SECTOR all but asking the same question CRASS did 47(!) years ago on “Do They Owe Us a Living?” Smart, powerful, and effective, Mercury Poisoning is an absolute banger that will easily be in my top ten 7” records of the year.