First Four EPs

Raw, uninhibited, and unrestrained, Off! make their raucous debut with First Four EPs. Featuring legendary Black Flag and Circle Jerks frontman Keith Morris and Redd Kross' Steve McDonald, the band is about as close as you can get to a hardcore supergroup, but unlike other projects where members of the old guard get together to write some songs and have a good time, it’s abundantly clear that Morris and company haven’t lost their edge. Packing 16 tracks into a scant 18 minutes, the album is pure no-muss, no-fuss hardcore with no intros, pleasantries, or cute gimmicks. Instead, what you get is a reminder of why Morris has been the man behind some of the most important bands in hardcore, and the reassurance that, after 30 years of unfiltered aggression, he hasn’t softened. As an introduction, First Four EPs is like a sonic punch in the face: direct, disorienting, and needing to be experienced first-hand in order to appreciate its significance fully. ~ Gregory Heaney