For those who don't know, Rehasher are a punk rock quartet from Gainesville, Florida, led by Less Than Jake bassist/vocalist Roger Manganelli and who play speedy, melodic skatepunk à la NOFX or early Strung Out. High Speed Access to My Brain is their second full-length and first for Paper + Plastick.
It's been more than half a decade since the release of their previous record, Off Key Melodies, but judging by the music on High Speed Access to My Brain, you'd never know it. There's some pretty tight playing going on here. They're punk, but they aren't sloppy. The record is energetic, catchy and short enough that you'll want to hear it again as soon as it's finished playing. Stylistically, it feels as if it could have been released on a label like Fat Wreck Chords or Epitaph in the mid-'90s.
Even though most of the songs are structurally similar, the amount of vocal hooks keep the listening experience from becoming boring. Still, it feels refreshing when they slow things down a bit on album closer "Finish What I Started." The songwriting is strong--these songs are actually memorable, not an easy accomplishment in the skatepunk genre. Highlights include "My Compass Must Be Broken" with its gigantic chorus and the (relatively) poppier "Lose My Limits," but thereâs not a bad song to be found in the bunch.
You don't necessarily have to be a Less Than Jake fan (I'm not) to enjoy Rehasher, although LTJ fans may find it interesting to hear what happens when Roger steps out front (he sings lead vocals and plays guitar here). However, this is most certainly NOT a Less Than Jake record, so fans of Manganelli's past work are advised to listen to it with an open mind. Bands like this don't come around as often as they used to, so any fans of NOFX, Lagwagon or Strung Out would do well to give High Speed Access to My Brain a spin.