Get Rad

Bastards United [7 inch] (2007)

Brian Shultz

Though Get Rad feature a member of (now official) defunct-to-bes Since by Man, there's little use in considering that when listening to the band's Bastards United 7". The bands share essentially no similarities besides a vague "hardcore" categorization.

There's another relative misnomer at play here. Get Rad are often labeled as a goofy thrash band; their top two neighbors on Last.fm are even Infest and Charles Bronson. Goofy? Sure. Thrash? Uhh, maybe my turntable is running a little slow or I'm just getting hard of hearing. If this record is any indication -- and maybe it's not, since the band have a few others released -- Get Rad is more mid-`80s inspired hardcore along the lines of Kill Your Idols or a thrash-less, more vocally pissed Outbreak with an unbridled intensity exuded throughout. However, the closing title track has a more serious air about it with a raw buildup and breakdown closer to self-titled 7"-era Modern Life Is War. Whatever they sound like, it ain't bad, but they certainly aren't executing any dynamically extreme tempo changes that'll have you flipping your brim upwards.

Lyrically, there's a fine line tread here between fun and stupid. The blatant "Goonies" ripoff layout is awesome, but lines like "I'm going nuts! Bonkers!" and "all the Taco Bell we ate…it was worth it!" might emit some groans, even if it's a sincere recount of male bonding.

In any event, this is a decent time and if you find yourself especially attracted to bands taking themselves less seriously, try it out.

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Bastards United