Reviews

Quick! What’s your favorite Gainesville band? Hot Water Music? Discount? Against Me? As Friends Rust? New Bruises? With their first record, Gainesville FL’s New Bruises catapult themselves into a very select echelon of punk bands with pedigree who have been there, done that, and still sound fresh and invigorate the community within which they play.  Jaded punks, new kids, everyone: get on this.
 
“Homogenized For Mass Consumption Or How My Youth Was Watered Down And Sold.” Before even hearing a single note, New Bruises let you know where they stand with the title of the first track.  When the energetic call to arms - “Stand up! Stand up!” - finally hits your ear drums over a wave of joyful punk, you know that this is real.  Eleven seconds.  Seriously.  That’s all it takes.
 
The fourth track, “Coffee with a Side of Confrontation, Please,” opens with a great HWM meets Crimpshrine line about not sleeping because of caffeine and loud music.  It’s familiar yet brand new, and the killer chorus sweeps through like wild fire as rough, road tested voices harmonize and fade. The line about “the windows open with no breeze in here” is so humid and accurate it requires air conditioning.
 
“Being Broke and Broken Down” sets off a set of four flawless melodic punk songs that close out the album.  A laconic question asked over a lazy beat - the sound of a Florida summer’s day when it’s too hot and arguments break out between friends who actually agree with each other. “The Hero, The Thief, And The Liability Of Getting Caught” immediately follows and offers, amongst other nuggets, that “it’s not worth stealing/ if it’s not worth getting caught.”  Perfectly true, perfectly executed.
 
For fans of ‘the Gainesville sound” (rough voices, an ear for melody, sparse but tight arrangements), awesome song titles, and great lyrics.  The maybe the Lawrence Arms.  New Bruises are ex-Mid Carson July and Grey A.M. if that sweetens the deal for you.  The only thing done wrong on the entire 12 track record is this: the lyrics printed on the peek-a-boo back tray side are the only lyrics on the album that could have been written by any other band.  But that’s a stupid criticism of a stellar album.  Transmit away!