Phorids at Panther City Vinyl Fort Worth TX Photo Credit Jose L. Serrato Jr. with Digital Ink.
https://phorids.bandcamp.com/?fbclid=IwAR32IvsEFLV8o6Wb-QdZN-ei2qG18v6DB3jlhMWcL4s_3CdUgaRLkckK2SU
By David Fletcher
Phorids is a DIY Hardcore Punk band from Fort Worth. No frills. No gimmicks. No bullshit.
From their black-and-white aesthetic to their military stenciled logo to their straightforward songs about confronting society’s backstabbers, phonies and generally insincere people, this is hardcore punk hearkening back to the sub-genre’s glory days.
Recorded and engineered by Travis R. Brown in Fort Worth and mastered by Andrew Byrom at Rarefaction Mastering in Sacramento, CA, Phorids’ self-titled EP sounds like a forgotten relic found in a stack of crusty 45s in a California record and skate shop.
With six songs spread out over the course of 10-and-a-half minutes, fans of Fear, Black Flag, Germs and Circle Jerks will be happy to hear that hardcore punk is, in fact, still out there without the need for the spikes-and-dye uniform that seems to come with it.
For all of the fuck-it-all attitude hardcore punk is generally known for, Phorids seem to be quite calculated in their approach. Not that their music comes off disingenuous. On the contrary, it is incredibly refreshing.
Phorids at Panther City Vinyl Fort Worth TX Photo Credit Jose L. Serrato Jr. with Digital Ink.
The EP’s opener “Mean Street” starts off with a hard-driving drum and bass line of Travis Brown and Jamie Shipman until the sound of Shannon Greer’s buzzsaw guitar joins in along with Brad Barker’s gravelly voice reminiscent of Darby Crash on a good day.
The next track “Party Line” begins with the slowed-down sound of a thrash guitar before the bottom falls out into a politically charged chant, Barker’s voice matching the pace set by Brown’s intense drumming.
Fans of the Circle Jerks may notice a bit of an Easter egg in “Sin City.” When Barker screams “wild in the streets” at the beginning of the song’s chorus with all the power of Keith Morris, one almost expects it to be followed up with a soft “running, running.”
“Stupid Haircut” is a surprisingly deep song in which the act of getting a haircut stands for cutting ties with a life of excess. Barker, you will note, has his head shaved clean.
Phorids at Panther City Vinyl Fort Worth TX Photo Credit Jose L. Serrato Jr. with Digital Ink.
In “Thoughts and Prayers,” the oft-repeated catch phrase of the current American president’s Twitter feed in times of gun violence tragedies is called out for what it really is – uncaring, unfeeling and useless.
At two minutes and forty-nine seconds, the EP’s slowest song “Wasted Time” makes up nearly a quarter of the album’s run-time, and it is an absolute assault on the 9-to-5 drudgery many of us find ourselves locked into.
So, are you in need of an emotional release in less than 11 minutes complete with fist pounding, head banging and screaming?
Take a smoke break and let it out to the sounds of hardcore punk done right.
