What does Drug Church sound like?

The hardcore punk spirit chewing up other subgenres of rock.

The review of ‘PRUDE’ by Drug Church

A new Drug Church album gives listeners a new way to connect with being an utterly broken human being whilst trying to do their best. It’s that “get off my back, this is all I’ve got to work with” hardcore punk spirit that spurs each release and Drug Church stays true to that formula with ‘PRUDE’. Across a tight half hour, we are treated to 10 rage-screaming songs that curse at the world around them. In a time of global desperation, ‘PRUDE’ is a cathartic release.

The hardcore punk spirit smashes you round the head with the opening duo ‘Mad Care’ and ‘Myopic’. These songs provide walls of sound and a vocal delivery that is like tearing the spine out of a sinewy corpse. The emotion pouring out of every vocal line is palpable and every droplet of spit is sizzling on the microphone. Drug Church are happy to provide messy guitar solos and ferocious finales (‘Myopic’ practically explodes at the end) but they aren’t happy to just smashing out power chords over and over.

This album lets the quintet slip their punk edge into a slicker, poppier production. ‘Hey Listen’ lets the band enjoy their open wide guitars and chugging drums instead of choking riffs with repressed anger. You could almost hear it as a radio single. ‘Demolition Man’ contains huge power riffs and funky basslines that bounce like a festival headline act. Things are heavy but the tangible pep in the band’s step adds a warmer glow to the music than previous albums. Drug Church aren’t just frantic drums, walls of noise guitars and uncontrolled anger. Even when they are singing about paying off the drug bill in ‘Business Ethics’ – they pull from pop-punk, grunge and fuzz-rock subgenres to make their own hybrid sound.

With the more direct and dare I say brighter tone of ‘PRUDE’, Drug Church even approaches the pop-punk side of things. ‘Slide 2 Me’ is something you wouldn’t be surprised to hear Green Day perform. They add in plenty of layers such as dissonant solos to avoid being too radio-friendly but the inherent catchy nature of songs brings them closer to the BBC Radio 6 market. ‘Chow’ for example has an incredibly rousing and catchy chorus that is prime 1998 MTV. It is glorious and deserves love. ‘Yankee Trails’ is a true anthem for the working class too. The intricate guitar motifs hiding underneath the huge power chords make every bar of music fascinating to listen to as we lament the shithole we’re living in.

‘Peer Review’ asks “I’m wondering how I find myself here at home with misfits” but that applies to Drug Church’s music too. It is a hardcore punk spirit that doesn’t want to stay inside the small confines of the hardcore punk genre. Instead, the band claws out and chews up other rock subgenres and spits them out as if they’re trying out new recipes for a future identity. Remarkably, this hybrid sound is incredibly cohesive and continues to mark out Drug Church as one of the best bands out there over the last few years. Each release has its own slant, style and mood. ‘PRUDE’ is probably the brightest and most optimistic Drug Church has been to date. Is it daisies and smiles? Hell no, but lyrically and musically everything feels more comfortable in its own skin. Maybe trying on other subgenres and punking them up is exactly what they needed to feel free. This is a great place to start if you are new to Drug Church – then go back in time to their darker years.

Recommended track: Yankee Trails

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