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What’s up Sorry Staters?
Holy shit, it’s been a while huh? I can’t remember how long it’s been since I sat down to write one of these things—let alone wrap my brain around producing coherent thoughts in written form. I’ll give it my best. I’m honestly feeling just a bit rusty. Time to shake the dust off!
What’s everybody been up to this summer? I feel like since last time we assembled a newsletter I’ve been out of town quite a bit. Shomo Fest 2023 in Philly was a fuckin’ blast. It was rad with Public Acid to reunite with our homies in Warthog. There was epicly hot gig underneath a bridge in Richmond where I got to see Subdued and Nosferatu up close and personal, with dust flying from hard moshtastic dancing and fireworks poppin’ off in the background. Also, my new band Meat House went on tour along with our buddies in Sorry State family members Mutant Strain, playing mostly gigs in the Midwest. Even though the tour was pretty short, it was one of the funnest tours I’ve ever been on. We partied, goofed off, and got into trouble. It ruled. Speaking of which, the Meat House 12” EP is out now, and thanks to everyone who’s grabbed a copy so far! We’re stoked that people seem to be diggin’ it.
In just about one week from today, Scarecrow are going on tour with our friends from Sweden, Vidro! They’re one of the best live bands I’ve seen in recent memory. Hope to some of y’all out at those gigs! Lookin’ forward to it.
So many great new releases have come out since we last did one of these. The new Deletär LP (sold out, but we have more on the way!) and the Nukies 12” pressing of their tape from earlier have both been on heavy rotation in the last week or so. But being the way I am, I thought I’d go a totally different route and talk about a reissue. I would never claim to be an expert on Canadian punk. Some deep cuts I love include the Unruled 7”, the Stretch Marks 7”, the Genetic Control 7”… definitely some serious bangers. But another band I love from Toronto is Youth Youth Youth. They released one 12” EP in 1983 called Sin, and until now in the Lord’s year 2023, the record has never had an official reissue.
The reissue is on a label called Blue Fog Records, which is a Toronto-based label that I think puts out lots of different kinds of music, definitely not just 80s hardcore punk reissues. There are some graphic design elements that they abandon from the original that I miss, but overall, I think it’s a pretty slick, clean looking reissue. You get a lyric insert and a printed inner sleeve with what I always refer to as “punk porn”—just a totally jam-packed collage of cool old black n white photos. Not unlike another compilation that I have called Repackaged, the A-side is the og 1983 EP in its entirety, and then the B-side is demo recordings. . The demos kinda remind of more song-based CA hardcore like Shattered Faith or Code of Honor. But by the time we get to the actual 1983 EP, musically, YYY play fast hardcore, but are definitely on the more melodic, tuneful end of the spectrum. What really stands out to me about YYY though are the lyrics and the singer’s delivery. He’s got that kind of self-serious, earnest demeanor, with often poetic, prophetic lyrics. A couple of the songs rather boldly and emphatically titled things like “Philosophy” or “Greed,” where a Canadian teenager breaks down some heavy topics with defiant conviction and seemingly no sense of irony whatsoever. Which honestly, I’m not even trying to poke fun at it. I just feel like it’s a rare thing to experience nowadays. It’s funny to even draw this comparison, but the vibe is not unlike 7 Seconds, but lyrically, YYY are probably more well-read I would say. Honestly, I feel like Bad Religion’s Suffer owes a debt to Youth Youth Youth from 5 or 6 years prior. YYY is definitely more hardcore and rougher around the edges, but the musicianship is top-notch and they’ve got that similar jangly guitar style and melodic riffing. Even the bass player’s (Paul Bishop’s?) rumbling, scale-walking style reminds me a lot of Jay Bentley.
All that aside, I think this YYY EP is an underappreciated gem of 80s Canadian hardcore. I’m stoked that this record is back in print so all of us hardcore nerds can rage to it without having to track down an original on Discogs and worry about it getting through Canadian customs haha. We’ve sold a few, but we’ve still got a good amount of copies of this reissue in stock here at Sorry State. So scoop one if ya can! Glad to be back on this newsletter grind.
That’s all I’ve got. As always, thanks for reading.
‘Til next week?
-Jeff