Scum Again

Scum Again [7-inch] (2012)

Joe Pelone

At first, Scum Again's self-titled 7-inch comes off like a crusty tribute to Choking Victim, with a little bit of None More Black's melody thrown in. And that's pretty cool. But the further listeners get into five-track 7-inch, the more things fall apart. Quite literally too. The band gets sloppier. The vocals get more off-key, culminating in the slurred ‘n' screeching "Mike's Job Application." In short, it gets worse the more you listen to it.

But that first side ("side scum") is pretty strong. "Damn Cory Haim" is a rocking lil romper stomper that's solidly executed. It's fast, it's punky and it almost has some melody to it. "Ghosts and Mice" can't quite top it, but it's still a solid second track.

But man does that shit disintegrate on "side again." It's like the members didn't have enough time to practice all of the songs they planned, and just banked on people quitting after "Ghosts and Mice." "Puppies in Kittens Clothing" plays like an anti-song, as does the aforementioned "Mike's Job Application." "Old and Jaded Song" starts to right the 7-inch a little bit with a surprisingly hook ending, but by that point it's too late. Scum Again has one good song, and a whole lot of bullshit.