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

Elway

Nobody’s Going To Heaven
Red Scare (2025)

There’s a specific kind of punk record that doesn’t try to inspire you, doesn’t bother offering solutions, and doesn’t pretend things are going to work out in the end. Nobody’s Going To Heaven is firmly planted in that tradition. Elway returns sounding less interested in rallying cries and more invested in documenting collapse as it happens. They cover every collapse … Read more

Heather The Jerk

Very Motorcycle EP
Goodbye Boozy (2025)

Heather The Jerk is a project from Madison, WI musician Heather Sawyer -- a scrappy punk band with garage and pop influences running rampant through the peppy, raw sound. This 4-song EP is called Very Motorcycle, released about a year after the Not Very Motorcycle tape. I have no idea what the phrase means, yet it sets a distinct mood. … Read more

Toys That Kill

Triple Sabotage
Recess (2026)

If you were lucky enough to catch Toys That Kill live last year, you were maybe treated to a set that included classic F.Y.P bangers like “Come Home Smelly” and “Jerkoff”. I made the trip down to Seattle to see them with Off With Their Heads specifically for this reason and was in no way disappointed. I had somehow managed … Read more