Alpha & Omega
Devil's Bed
6131 (2008)
You know when George sings on Blacklisted's Heavier than Heaven, Lonelier than God and you really liked that grungey overblown style? Oh wait that was me. Anyhow... now you can have an entire five-song EP chock full of that over the top wailing. Not only do you get that you also get some headbanging metallic hardcore that falls somewhere between … Read more
Backtrack
Deal With the Devil
6131 (2009)
This EP is fairly similar to another recent 6131 release from Bad Seed. This isn't a bad thing. This is a renaissance of sorts for heavy NYHC. Where Bad Seed seems to fail for most is that they don't exploit the grooves they can get into. On the other hand, Backtrack has yet to find a groove they don't like … Read more
Bad Seed
Bad Seed
6131 (2009)
Members of Title Fight do a hardcore band, neat. The four songs on this platter remind me of early Merauder crossed with Cold World for a knockdown drag out testosterone fueled mosh fest. The songs themselves aren't bad as who ever writes the riffs is either brilliant or just knows what songs to rip off. If you enjoy NYHC played … Read more
Cruel Hand
Without a Pulse
6131 (2007)
It's time to play the ex-member/members of game again. This time we have members and former members of the Maine hardcore unit, Outbreak. If I'm not mistaken Cruel Hand is actually the same Outbreak lineup that gave us the You Make Us Sick EP, but with a different singer. So if you haven't guessed Cruel Hand does at times sounds … Read more
Defiant Hearts
Arlington
6131 (2007)
Massachusetts has pretty much been a breeding ground for hardcore bands since well hardcore started. Defiant Hearts is yet another in the long line of bands to come from the state, and they're armed with a new record. From the get-go of Arlington with "Ghost" it is quite evident what kind of a record you are in for. "Ghost" is … Read more
Down to Nothing / 50 Lions
Split
6131 (2008)
Richmond meets Melbourne on this split effort. Down to Nothing follows up last year's The Most while 50 Lions follows up an Australian-released full-length of their own. This split features each band contributing three new tracks. Down to Nothing picks things up right where The Most left off. The band's sound has gotten significantly less punk-oriented and more straightforward and … Read more
Every Second Counts
Every Second Counts
6131 (2007)
Here's a band from Southern California that I'm not familiar with, and for the style they play I find that odd. There hasn't been any mention of them on messageboards or any bulletins on Myspace about them being "good dudes" who are "backed hard." It says on the one sheet that Every Second Counts tours but they have probably never … Read more
Joyce Manor
Self Titled
6131 (2011)
Who ever said louder isn’t better? Joyce Manor have been breaking down the walls of every town they play up and down the west coast with their rowdy live performances for awhile now. Their self-titled debut album will have you hopping and singing at the top of your lungs with their boisterous pop-punk anthems in your own home.Joyce Manor jump … Read more
Julien Baker
Sprained Ankle
6131 (2015)
Similar to how people said, “Alright, I guess we’re done with the novel now” after James Joyce’s Ulysses, I thought, “Alright, I guess we’re done with the singer-songwriter genre now” after Sun Kil Moon’s Benji, with its overwhelmingly detailed accounts of second cousins’ deaths and watching The Song Remains the Same. When I took a class on Ulysses (God, why … Read more
Maker
Mirrors
6131 (2011)
Maker have been a band for a few years now crawling out of the Massachusetts hardcore scene. The band play a style of pop punk that relies on speed and bolstered by breakdowns and gang vocals. The band had signed to 6131 records about a year ago after a handful of EPs and Split records. So far nothing particularly different … Read more
Miles Away
Rewind, Repeat...
6131 (2007)
If you were to listen to the latest offering from Miles Away, Rewind, Repeat , and yet knew nothing of the band, the last place that you would guess they were from would be Australia. If anything, you would have come up with either the Pacific Northwest or Boston. And while both are logical guesses based on the style of … Read more
No Apologies
Survival
6131 (2007)
Survival is the debut full-length from No Apologies. This five-piece outfit comes from the land of koalas and aborigines. This album is filled with plenty of moshy New York-inspired hardcore, but there is also a hint of Westcoast flavor - not a surprise when one discovers Todd Jones (Terror, Carry On) wrote two songs for the album. Tracks like "Survival," … Read more
Permanent
Sink|Swim
6131 (2007)
One of the best indicators of rating how good a band is is if you can feel your heart pounding as you listen to them. Your adrenaline is pumping, you're shouting alongside the music trying to keep up, and all you really want to do is grab onto something and hold on because, for all you know, you're on a … Read more
Rotting Out
Street Prowl
6131 (2011)
There's something generally referred to as a summer record. That elusive album that you can blast out of the windows of your car and feel perfectly in that time frame and state of mind. Most of the time these records are otherwise questionable pop albums that may be slightly embarrassing otherwise. Rarely it works out that these records are just … Read more
Settle For Less
Contemporary
6131 (2011)
Since the rise of Brand New out of the emo scene (around the time Deja Entendu was released) there have been a number of bands trying to make the most of that style. While said style isn't complicated it does require a few things that most bands that copy them can't quite pull off. Settle For Less at times seem … Read more
Souvenirs
Tired Of Defending You
6131 (2012)
When I first heard that Souvenirs was signed to 6131 I was expecting another straight-up generic hardcore band. However, upon listening to their first release from last year, Sadder Days, I was pleasantly surprised to find a pop-punk/emo crossover band: one taking the lyrical writing style of ‘90s emo bands and the upbeat feel of pop-punk. This was right up … Read more
Swamp Thing
In Shame
6131 (2009)
Rob Gordon's first lines uttered in High Fidelity are What came first, the music or the misery? People worry about kids playing with guns, or watching violent videos, that some sort of culture of violence will take them over. Nobody worries about kids listening to thousands, literally thousands of songs about heartbreak, rejection, pain, misery and loss. Did I listen … Read more
Worriers
You or Someone You Know
6131 (2020)
If it weren’t for playing in a certain scene, Worriers would likely be branded as a pop band instead of punk. The band is DIY all the way, with a growing discography, plus a back catalogue of previous bands dating into the early 2000s. As the project has grown since debut Cruel Optimist, it’s shifted more and more pop in song … Read more
