You're Nothing

Punk rock never dies; it comes back whenever a new generation picks up instruments and turns youth's aggression and energy into something loud, desperate, and often melodic (despite melody sometimes being held in suspicion by young punks). Copenhagen's Iceage recall everything great about punk rock. Its songs are loud and melodic, sounding like they're falling apart as they cruise at twice the safe speed. With this 29-minute set, Iceage does everything right. An extra layer of noise in the recordings lends an urgency to the insomnia of "Ecstasy" and the grueling pains of "Burning Hand," where punk turns a shade of Blonde Redhead with further overtones and subtleties building into the rubber-band rhythms. "Wounded Hearts" turns up the reverb and adds a few luminous and garage-rock–like leads. "It Might Hit First" turns in pure hardcore fury in less than a minute and a half. Old-school punks who grew up listening to Hüsker Dü and Minor Threat and ordered foreign punk collections will recognize this energy and feel right at home with younger punks experiencing it all for the first time.