Review / 200 Words Or Less
Shit Outta Luck
Family Tradition

Organized Crime (2007) Kevin Fitzpatrick

Shit Outta Luck – Family Tradition cover artwork
Shit Outta Luck – Family Tradition — Organized Crime, 2007

Not to be confused with Hayward's Shit Outta Luck, a ska band - this is Milwaukee's Shit Outta Luck, a meaty, Midwest "hardcore" band. The quotes are for the mere fact that the hardcore term is thrown around with such carelessness these days as to render its true meaning useless. Is S.O.L. hardcore? Not quite by my definition, but they come closer than others. Respectably upholding the tenets of the genre, there's sadly nothing really of note here. Slow-to-mid tempo songs with passable vocals but nothing memorable to speak of, like late-era Agnostic Front. Each song starts out promising with a good downstroke riff but then just goes nowhere. These guys love to drink and by looking at 'em you'd be hard pressed to distinguish them between the Dropkick Murphys, but the lyrics have an unfortunate meathead quality that ultimately castrates the overall purpose.

Shit Outta Luck – Family Tradition cover artwork
Shit Outta Luck – Family Tradition — Organized Crime, 2007

Recently-posted album reviews

Circuit des Yeux

Halo On The Inside
Matador (2025)

Haley Fohr's artistic vehicle, Circuit des Yeux, defies categorisation. Stamping the indie folk label on her was superficial, something dispelled easily once you have experienced the lo-fi distortion of "The Girl With No Name." It might be that under the layers of sonic disfigurement, a folk ethos is present in Fohr's narrative sensibility, but it is no longer the same. … Read more

ZEPHR

Past Lives
Dumb Ghost, Snappy Little Numbers (2025)

Sometimes you can just hear the passion in a voice. ZEPHR is one of those bands. They defy convention a little bit, in that I associate gravelly voices with harsher, heavier sounds, but ZEPHR use sore-throat vocals to great effect with midtempo, emotional and melodic 3-chord chugging punk rock and some DC sound. In few words, it's raw, both musically … Read more

Kreiviskai

Motinai
Infinite Fog Productions (2025)

Kreiviskai's origins are deeply rooted in the neofolk sound and ethos. Their debut record, Zemmis : supnãi, focuses on the musical lineage of Tver, embracing the traditional instrumentation to produce a somber and moving piece. Their follow-up record, Nonregnum expands outward, focusing on various historical events and introducing further influences. The pull of neo-classical is palpable, while the abrasive industrial … Read more