I remember discovering Fruit Punch when I was 16 researching Queercore bands. The genre was so new to me that I couldn’t get enough. It started with Pansy Divison and The Dicks, but once I found Limp Wrist I was in love. Fruit Punch was my next discovery. I got the chance to see them at a reunion show for the first time and purchased their split 7-inch with Youth Of Togay. Honestly, after that I forgot about them. Then one day out of the blue they pop up on Spotify and I'll admit I freaked out a little bit.

The 7 inch collection is really a collection of songs from their vinyl releases over their 10 year existence. Listening to this is like reliving my teenage years. It's extremely fast (25 songs in under 25 minutes), aggressive and guaranteed to hit you with the brutal fist of nostalgia. The biggest thing that separates Fruit Punch from the vast majority of Queercore bands is the almost nonexistent joke element. With the exception of “Dudes”, “Muffins” and “Highway 299 Degrees” (maybe the worst 3 songs on the album) this is a very serious punk rock album. I will warn that it can be a little on the preachy side (something I didn’t catch as a youngster) but all in all this could be my favorite punk/hardcore release of the year.