Brutal Youth

Stay Honest [EP] (2013)

RENALDO69

Brutal Youth created chills in 2010 with Spill Your Guts, and this same compliment can be paid to Stay Honest. It illustrates how much they've stayed true to their sound, packing enough punch in under ten minutes and unleashing fast-paced punk in a most welcomed manner.

Brutal? Yes. Relentless? Yes. Ruthless? Yes. The blistering drumming and hardcore tone sinewed into the band's vibrant punk essence takes over any semblance of distortion and incoherence to strum out a musically fun record that opens nicely with "Shortcut to Nowhere Pt.2." This is the perfect build into "Orca6050_Millenium Falcon" that pans out with rage and raw energy. If you wanted proof that they've maintained their grit, look no further.

The short bursts of rage are fast and furious here and it's apparent how well their Kid Dynamite influence trickles into their music. They do the comparison justice as they wind in and streamline a scratchy hardcore sound into their range that's built on quick riffs and non-complexity. "John Hughes Proverbs" is laced with lyrics like 'Why did we let ourselves slip away' that segue into prominent 'Whoa-oh' backups, which stand as a stark reminder of how tight their split with Tightrope came off last year.

Brutal Youth never manage to exacerbate the situation with an influx of 'Whoa-ohs', and it paves the way for "53" to leave the record on a great cliffhanger - promising so much and leaving you wanting more. The bass in this track alone makes the album worth buying. Chalk up another in the win column; Spill Your Guts is too short and too sweet.