Tiebreak

Reviews

Tiebreak Prodigal Sons LP

You might not have thought there was a throughline that connected KORT PROSESS and ’90s youth-crew-obsessed Euro hardcore, but you might not have heard TIEBREAK. Dark, determined, dedicated hardcore punk from Norway, first active in the late 1990s when it made sense, but then reformed in the 2020s when punk needed them. This reviewer listening to TIEBREAK in 2026 is like this reviewer listening to OUTLAST in 1999…it’s a lifeline. “I’m sorry I can’t keep up / I love you but I can’t keep up.”

Tiebreak Hardcore Bugs EP

Oslo’s TIEBREAK returns with Hardcore Bugs, their first release since 1998’s Stand Hard EP which made some waves before the band broke up a couple of years later for one reason or another. In spite of the band’s decades-long absence, they sound good here, playing youth crew hardcore that doesn’t sound at all out of place with the current crop of modern bands playing the same style. I really have no further notes other than that they unfortunately lose one point for the album artwork, which is confusing in my opinion. Anyway, if you’re into youth crew vets BERTHOLD CITY, you’ll like this.