Bust It! - Hell Is Other People [7-inch] (Cover Artwork)
Staff Review

Bust It!

Hell Is Other People [7-inch] (2011)

Get Young


I guess the fact that I didn't know that "Bust it!" is a phrase linked to hardcore music shows that I still have plenty to learn at my advanced age. Still, I know it now and can recognise/understand why it's used in the first track on this release from a band which is apparently looking to emulate or be likened to bands such as Void and Negative Approach.

The one thing that strikes me as I listen to this is the production/sound of the tracks. It really isn't overproduced like a lot of records these days, and I say that as a compliment. The raw sound, especially in the first track, "Intro/Empty Drawer", really does convey what you might hear if you saw this band live, something that might put them alongside a band like Void I'd imagine. The cymbals have a great sound to them and that's not something I frequently say for any record/band.

The songs, however, are a bit mediocre with nothing really making this release stand out over other records, be they hardcore or any of the other punk genres that we use to label "punk" music. Yes, there is an intensity within some of the music, but it's not the kind that grabs you by the balls and holds on as it forces you to writhe as the momentum hits you. These songs just lack whatever it is needed to be noticeable.

I don't know why, but I had high hopes for this from hearing the opening track, but having listened to the EP numerous times I am unable to find that something that hooks me in and instead feel as if I'm left floundering in that search. A good sound is not enough to make a fairly average song anything other than that. Void and Negative Approach both had that "something" whilst on this effort Bust It! unfortunately do not.