Democracy: Party's Over 12"

Democracy: Party’s Over 12” (Unlawful Assembly) Unlawful Assembly released a demo tape from Democracy back in 2021, and five years later the band is back with their debut vinyl. In their label blurb, Democracy foregrounds their philosophical stance to the point where they give almost no information about who they are or what they sound like. I’m still not sure where they are from (I’ve seen conflicting reports of Milwaukee and Seattle), but I can tell you for sure they are against democracy and money and are pro-getting high. As for the sound, it’s a grim, evil-sounding take on hardcore that fits in perfectly alongside other Unlawful Assembly groups like Brainwash Victims, Necron 9, and Cicada. The relentless drumming reminds me of Gai and Confuse, while the vocals are higher-pitched and almost squealed, sort of like an angry insect. The recording is totally fried and often coalesces into a roaring blur, punctuated by moments of wild lead guitar and/or the occasional mid-paced part (and, of course, the standout instrumental track “Healing II,” which adapts Robo’s drumbeat from Black Flag’s “Damaged I”). While Democracy is very far from a “worship” band, folks who appreciate the noise-punk aesthetic of bands like Gai and Confuse are bound to appreciate Party’s Over as it walks a similar line between being wild and raging and having a kind of avant-garde strangeness about it. And it’s a beautifully packaged record too, featuring a jacket screened by the Casa Rat Trap collective in Bogotá, Colombia. A very cool pickup for anyone into the weirder side of raw hardcore.