Under Pressure - Come Clean

Hope everyone had a good Memorial Day weekend. I did what I imagine a lot of people did, that being attending a BBQ either with friends or family. The only downer was the fact that it remained a bit too cool for me to take advantage of the swimming pool that was available at ours. However, I imagine it was a blessing in disguise for most others in attendance as they didn’t have to witness my blindingly pale skinny self get into the water. They remain safe for now…

For those interested, the monthly mix is right around the corner. I plan on posting that up on Thursday, if not Thursday then definitely Friday. Either way, it will be up this week so keep an eye out.

Coming out of Winnipeg, Canada is the band Under Pressure whom I wasn’t familiar with before hearing their latest record Come Clean released on Escape Artist for the North American market. Originally the album had come out in 2006 on the German label Yellow Dog Records specifically for their European tour. Well, thankfully it’s getting the proper treatment here in the US because this is exactly what fans of hardcore need to hear. Granted, anymore I don’t listen to as much hardcore music as I used too. In my late teens I was pretty big into it and every once and awhile a record will come through still and revive my interest in the genre all over again. Under Pressure’s record Come Clean is exactly the type of record to do just that. With the current state of hardcore music, which is becoming increasingly blurred by tight pants, spiked bracelets, and high dollar haircuts it’s hard to really keep with it anymore. Such a thing is what makes it even more of a delight to hear something like Come Clean when a genre like hardcore music is currently in sort of stagnation. Under Pressure’s music here comes off with a complete “no bullshit” type of vibe that puts a nice big smile on my face. From the opener title track “Come Clean” it’s pretty evident from beginning that Under Pressure are serious about bringing back the spirit and pulse to hardcore music. Practically every song on Come Clean comes at you with riffs that will instantly grab you and won’t let go. This is what it’s all about. I’m pretty impressed with vocals too, which remain consistent and ring true to more classic sounding hardcore. The band receives a lot of comparisons to Poison Idea, which after listening to this I’d say is pretty accurate. In a small way it reminds me of older Revelation bands, but with a bit of a modern flair attached to it, which is by no means a slight in any way. It works well. Anyway, I highly suggest checking out the tracks below. Enjoy!

Under Pressure – Come Clean [MP3]
Under Pressure – Sick/Sinful [MP3]

For those interested in this fantastic release, head on over to Escape Artist Records and pick this up. This is some great stuff folks, don’t miss out.