Padkarosda-s/t LP (2012)

From what my informants tell me, Padkarosda is doing its own take on a sound originally carved out by first-wave Hungarian punk bands in the late '70s/early '80s, when Sex Pistols and Clash bootlegs started filtering into Budapest. Whatever, I came lurching home late on Saturday night from one of those "I only wanted to have one beer at five in the afternoon, and here it is midnight and I'm blackout drunk" sorta benders and popped this on. After spinning this LP straight through, I wouldn't go so far as to say I felt rejuvenated. This LP, however, definitely made me wanna slamdance, pogo, and indulge in various other punk moves I haven't busted out since I was young enough to rock circled A's on my shirts and earnestly try to talk to other people about identity politics and stuff.Yeah.

Padkarosda plays urgent, hard driving punk that puts to shame a lot of what passes for said genre in the U.S. these days. One of the cool things about Padkarosda is how much mileage they get out of not cranking up the distortion to the max: the band's rhythm section is a lot cleaner, more distinct, than most punk bassists and drummers ever were; the result is a frantic, impassioned sound that doesn't sound like horseshit, if y'unnerstand. In an era when most bands are ripping off Disorder or Lebenden Toten for all they're worth, these guys are just keeping it real with tight song-writing and melodic singing. The guitar is top notch too. Given their songcraft and musicianship, this band could develop into the sorta group Pitchfork would deem worthy to interview, but I'm guessing they're content to swig 3 Horses lager on the Danube, listen to '80s Hungarian punk, and replicate the riffs they hear therein. Lord knows i can't fault 'em for that....

Hang out with Padkarosda HERE. Thanks to Gabor from Fuseism for telling me to check out this band.