Humanifesto

The Infamous (2010)

Brian Shultz

Humanifesto simply rearrange the letters in their band name to come up with a track listing to their full-length, The Infamous. The results are much like the album's content itself: The band is using a common language in a very specific and impressively clever way sometimes, but otherwise recycling it forcibly.

Musically, Humanifesto are very much a product of their influences: Think Propagandhi with kind of a sloppier melodic hardcore and elder pop-punk tilt to them, with an occasional reckless abandon that subtly recalls AFI circa "Triple Zero." While NOFX appears to be big in their punk rock diets (a previous release aped the Fuck the Kids 7" and replaced the lyrics with their own), Humanifesto are much more straight-laced: The Infamous takes on pretty dead-serious issues ranging from animal rights ("Oh, Meat Is Fun!") to child prostitution ("Some Thai Fun"), and while it guides the musical foundation through much more somber territory, it overshadows the music itself to a certain degree.

"Shout Amen If" is a straightforward hardcore cut that sticks out since it's significantly more aggressive than most anything else off the album, but it's missing a certain something. "US Anthem of I" sounds like a a throwback to Thought Riot's Sketches of Undying Will, and its darker, more melodic bite makes it a standout for sure. But more often than not, you tend to wish the band was as creatively cutthroat as their lyrical aspirations are, which even broach overpopulation ("Him + A Fetus = No") and seem to viciously call out a certain scene fixture in Montreal ("So I Hunt Fame").

The Infamous is a completely competent and fearless punk record that ably attempts to tackle some meaningful subjects, but in the end none of it really sticks too firmly. An alternate lesson plan might be beneficial in the future.

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The Infamous