Lose the Tude

Lose the Tude [7-inch] (2010)

OverDefined

Lose the Tude is a Columbus, Ohio-based less-than-serious hardcore band feature members of various pop-punk bands including the Sidekicks and Delay. Besides having maybe the greatest name for a hardcore band I've ever heard, Lose the Tude is heavy on fun with quick, short songs, and sounds more like early '80s hardcore than Terror, Madball or any of the other ‘core bands the ‘Org loves to hate. After a few years playing eight-minute fun-filled basement show sets, the band finally managed to record 10 songs for this 7" on Sacred Plague Records.

Now, remember in the '90s when every pop-punk had one hardcore song on their record? It was usually a short, fast track and often featured someone other than the regular vocalist screaming overtop of simple, fast chord changes. Bands like Diesel Boy, ALL, Goldfinger and others did this, and that sound is a good approximation of what Lose the Tude sounds like. For a hardcore band, the guitar tone is pretty light on distortion with vocals that are shouted with usually intelligible lyrics, again lending to the '80s feel of the band. Most songs feature fast parts, but the band shines when it slips into medium-tempo driving sections--not quite breakdowns, but definitely still a release from the relentless fast punk style.

The lyrics are probably where the band shines the most. The band highlights themes of anti-apathy, avoiding jealousy and promoting the idea of actually doing something with your time other than just sitting around. In the opening song, "Generation Gaps," the band defends the plight of its generation: "They say our generation waves toilet paper flags. Everything we've done is shit. What we need is some dog tags. I've got my thumb up my ass. It doesn't feel bad at all. I've got no brain. I'm on a weed campaign, staring at pictures of Kurt Cobain," before declaring, "I'm smarter than you, I live my own life, yours is fucking through."

In the hilariously titled "Keep Nike Out of Hardcore," the band attacks American (and hardcore) consumerism: "We got a bad disease, a distance from the things we buy. We got an endless greed so pile your shit to the sky. The Nike higher-ups are filling their pockets, but at least you're looking good in the mosh pit."

These 10 songs make for a quick and fun listen of jokey hardcore with some actual depth in the lyrics. I just wish they would have included the live staple "Suck Less, Rule More," but this release satisfies for now. Also of note is the nice and colorful cover art by James Payne.