Review / 200 Words Or Less
S.H.I.T.
i EP

La Vida Es Un Mus Discos Punk (2017) Nathan G. O'Brien

S.H.I.T. – i EP cover artwork
S.H.I.T. – i EP — La Vida Es Un Mus Discos Punk, 2017

After making some waves around ye olden DIY hardcore scene circa 2014, these Toronto-ians took a little hiatus from recorded output (sans a couple live tapes). But now they’re back to kick of 2017 with this quick, four-song ripper. The titles of which all start with the letter I – “Insidiation”, "Incorporation”, “Information”, and “Individuation.”

The aura of leather jacket-clad arrogance that I’ve always appreciated is still intact, but they’ve evolved a bit. I mean, inasmuch as punk will allow while still being, you know, punk. They’ve integrated longer instrumental parts and scaled back on the snot-infused vocalization in favor of a smidgeon of decipherability. On the subject of the vocals, they’re kind of buried in the mix, giving off that demo tape vibe that this particular reviewer is quite fond of. Musicality-wise, it’s still that buzzing, noisy crux that we go gaga for but with a little wiggle room for each player to flex their chops.

While I’m of the belief that punk is best served via shorter releases, I’d really like to see where these guys will take things if they ever decide to go the seven-to-10 song 12” route. If the small flourishes of arty improvisation here are any indication, it would be what we in the business call, “killer.”

S.H.I.T. – i EP cover artwork
S.H.I.T. – i EP — La Vida Es Un Mus Discos Punk, 2017

Recently-posted album reviews

Eater

The Lost 1978 Sessions
Cleopatra (2025)

Hopefully everyone reading this already knows that Eater was one of the early British punk bands. Forming in North London in 1976, Eater was one of the youngest bands in the burgeoning UK punk scene, with the members being aged 14-17 at the band’s inception. Eater issued a series of singles and one album for The Label between 1977-1978 before … Read more

Spark of Life

Plagued by the Human Condition
New Age Records (2025)

Spark Of Life hails from LA and has been around since the early 2000s. Their debut album dropped in 2003, but it took almost two decades to drop their newest album titled Plagued by the Human Condition. This album was released through New Age Records out of southern California, and it is worth checking out. If you’re familiar with New … Read more

The Dwarves

Sunshine, Lollipops & Rainbows
GREEDY (2025)

Sunshine, Lollipops & Rainbows is a live studio recording from 1989, released on picture disc earlier this year on limited vinyl for Record Store Day. Given that it came shortly before the release of Blood, Guts & Pussy, it's no surprise that it's heavy on songs from that record (10 of 14, if I've counted correctly). It's more primal than … Read more