Urgent Kill It’s OK to Be Kind LP
Straightedge youth crew hardcore for the true believers. This is Tony from Positive and Focused Records’ band, a dedicated scene vet from Holland, and from what I understand, this band is him and a couple teenagers mining the tried and tested ore of youth crew HC. This mines more of the youth crew revival sound than the first wave—I hear some FASTBREAK, maybe some UP FRONT, but it’s done well enough. Lyrically on the right side of things, dealing with Tony’s recent bout with cancer, religion being exclusive and dangerous, the importance of non-racist mentalities, etc. As per tradition, it is unapologetically positive, to the point of almost being saccharine, so your mileage may vary there. I am in the tank for this stuff, so I can recommend it if you need some newer bands doing the style. My only nitpicks would probably be that the guitar tone isn’t sharp enough for my liking and the vocals could be mixed in a wee bit better, but it’s a cool enough genre exercise for those who already partake in music for sneaker and haircut high-top appreciation.