Axe To Grind Traxxx playlist

Breaking down my favourite songs of the year so far

CONTENTION COURTESY OF HANNAH BORRIES

A few weeks back, GOATed hardcore podcast Axe to Grind was talking about the current state of hardcore music. They lamented the fact that this year, compared to others in recent memory, seems lacking in “tracks” -- a term they use to describe “high quality songs”. One of the hosts said, “hey, maybe we’re missing something. If anyone has a playlist of 12-15 tracks from contemporary hardcore, send it our way”. 

Much like the A2G hosts, I feel 2024 has been a down year for high quality hardcore music, especially among the more well-known and popular bands. We’re past the halfway mark of September and still don’t have that undeniable, year-defining full-length album. I’ve listened to many more obscure demos than normal this year. 

The face of 2024 hardcore feels like it’s having an identity crisis. That being said, I’ve kept a close watch on new releases, and there’s still a decent number of good songs. I compiled 13 of them into a playlist spanning most sub-genres and styles. Here’s the official companion piece for that playlist, with a little blurb about why I chose each song. 

Armor - “En Mass” 

I had to start the playlist with this song because every time I throw on the new Armor EP, that first riff gets my blood pumping. I absolutely love the transition from the intro to the meat of the song as well. I’m of the belief that if a band plays a non-repeating riff to open their song, they better make good use of it and not just throw it on lazily because they can’t think of anything better. “En Mass” is essentially just a fast, simple, catchy hardcore punk tune. It’s really nothing crazy. The hook in the intro and the deftly written transition elevates it to “track” status. 

Bootlicker - “Red Serge” 

Attention to detail makes Bootlicker one of the best bands in hardcore. On its face, this song is basically two repeating parts. The lyrics hardly even change from verse to verse. When you listen closely, though, you’ll hear subtle chord progression changes and buried leads that help keep the momentum going. The band also tells a story and makes a political point simply by swapping one or two words per verse. This song seems simple, but I feel like a lot of thought went into it. It’s catchy as hell, too. 

Identity Shock - “Animosity” 

Sometimes you don’t need to explain why something is good, it speaks for itself. This is the song of the year in my opinion – a chunky intro riff into two blazing fast verses where the vocalist shrieks about wringing people’s necks and shooting them in the head, punctuated by just enough mid-tempo chaos to move the crowd without losing momentum. It would have been a hit in 1982 and it’s a hit in 2024. Timeless hardcore. 

Confusion’s Prince – “Two” 

At 3:15, this track is practically an opus for the type of music Confusion’s Prince plays. In my opinion, every second is necessary. The meat of the song is two great riffs and a catchy vocal refrain, bookended by two minutes of stompy, dirgy jamming with a big-time payoff at the end. This shit must go nuts live. There’s more than enough time to mosh during the buildups, while the fast parts are full of hooks for mic grabbing and singalongs. After the second jam part, the track climaxes into a cathartic, midtempo plod with wailing guitar leads and more shout-along style vocals. It’s hard to describe a song with the chorus “I see you as vile” as fun, but that’s where it lands for me. 

Public Acid – “Ignorance” 

On the first listen of Public Acid’s new LP, this track is a real “I wasn’t familiar with your game” moment. If you aren’t paying attention, you might assume these North Carolina punks are all about speed and shredding. Then they open this song with a mosh riff that could just as easily appear on one of the early Nails records and your jaw hits the floor. Suddenly, it starts to make sense. You hear the crusty guitar tones and the speed picking in the next part and start to think maybe these guys are about more than just black denim and shitty beer. Before you can pontificate too long, they smack you over the head again with the heavy riff, letting it ride out for almost too long until the track becomes enveloped in static. The vocalist ties everything together at the end, using the last line of the fast part as a bellowing refrain to close things out. 

Burning Lord – “Clip My Wings” 

This is another song that I feel needs no explanation. Do you like sick guitar tones? Do you like thrashy New York Hardcore riffs? Do you like bouncy bass breaks that lead into hard ass breakdowns? Do you like some weirdo begging you to “clip his wings” like a demented masochist? Do you like the Raw Deal demo? If not, why do you like hardcore? Fuck. 

Haywire - “Poser Disposer” 

The “lead single” from this Boston band’s debut walks a fine line between machismo and playfulness – a necessary dichotomy, because taking yourself too seriously in this type of hardcore makes you look like a caricature. I refuse to believe anyone over the age of 30 writes a song called “Poser Disposer” with their whole chest, so I’m taking this in good spirit. The structure is simple – two bouncy, classic NYHC-style riffs, punctuated by a bass break into the type of non-palm muted caveman mosh part you’d hear on the classic Blood for Blood material. Juxtapose that with some appropriately mush-brained lyrics about scene tourists and a cheeky little mosh-call to set up the guest spot and boom! You’ve got a hit. I’ve heard this track a million times by ten thousand different artists, and I never get tired of it. 

Wreckage – Test of Time 

There are a few choice cuts on this prolific Connecticut band’s 2024 release. I chose “Test of Time” because the “fucking GO!” mosh call makes my hair stand up every time. It’s the type of catharsis that would compel 21-year-old Vince to spin-kick the lamp off his nightstand while bedroom moshing. Wreckage write intricate and complex songs, especially for a youth crew band. In lesser hands, that could be a disaster. These kids somehow pull it off. There’s a common melodic motif on this track, but few, if any, of the parts repeat. Those parts themselves are deeper and more complex than this type of music demands. I feel like the chord progressions have more in common with Bootlicker than any of the “Capital H” hardcore on this list. Wreckage inject energy and smart songwriting into a subgenre where you usually only get the former. 

Die Alone – “Lessons Learned for The Unloved” 

Punk rock proves time and time again that simplicity works. Aside from the super-catchy, Kickback-style leads, there might be four distinct notes in this entire song. A skilled guitarist could play the rhythm parts in drop D without once moving his hand up the fretboard. The song structure is deceivingly straightforward too, but the Die Alone dudes have been in bands for so long, they know how to dress things up. Turning the bouncy chorus riff into a bass break on the second go-round adds a crucial dynamic touch to the standard verse/chorus/verse/chorus/bridge/breakdown approach. That little bass groove is the best part of the song in my opinion and makes Kev Pure’s energetic guest verse hit like a brick to the face. Add some relatable lyrics and a bit of greasy pre-breakdown shit talking and you’ve got a track, my friend. 

Crush Your Soul – “GETMONEY” 

Vocalist Jay Petagine knows the importance of a great hook. “GETMONEY” is basically three parts, with the final breakdown being a slower variation of the last verse. The riffs are catchy, and the drumming is tight, but those elements alone aren’t particularly special. Petagine makes the song pop, mastering a deceptively hard skill by placing his vocals in exactly the right spots to let the parts breathe and naturally progress. Furthermore, he punctuates the most climactic moments of the song with a bare-bones refrain of “I’ve been praying to the gods above to get money”. That repetition ties everything together and adds the type of “mic grab moment” Petagine’s other band Mindforce leverages into insane live reactions.    

Contention - “Ousted From Eden” 

Here’s another record with four or five legit tracks to pick from. “Ousted From Eden” has the most staying power for me. Musically, it takes all my conventional ideas about good songwriting and throws them out the window. There’s one repeating part in the entire three-minute runtime. Bringing back a seemingly throwaway breakdown from the middle of the song to close it out gives the ending a real pop. Aside from that, we’re looking at a parade of rock-hard riffs woven together by creative transitions and dynamic guitar interplay. This whole album thrives on calculated bursts of momentum. “Ousted From Eden's” lyrics are the kicker. They accomplish the goal of all good dystopian art -- proving that the horrors are already real. 

Since My Beloved – “Color of Cornelian” 

HardLore host Colin Young once said he knew he wanted music to go “jun jun jun” from an early age. My version of that is “bum bum pah” -- the driving effect of an off-time bass hit. Think “State of Love and Trust” by Pearl Jam, “Waterwings” by Alexisonfire, or basically any Hot Water Music song. “Color of Cornelian” uses many different drum patterns, but aside from a swelling intro and some capstone metallic heaviness, it drives the whole way through. My favourite part is the bridge right before the breakdown. That riff is eminently danceable, but no mosh move in recorded history would do it justice. Yoi just gotta jump up and down like it’s Lollapalooza and you’re watching Blink-182 rip into the chorus of “Damnit”. This whole track has a playful, lighthearted energy, standing out in a subgenre where melodrama is the de facto mood. The riffs are still hard, though. 

Life’s Question - “Something Out There” 

I’ve gone on record lamenting big room hardcore’s embrace of out-genre melody, even using Life’s Question as a scapegoat for my curmudgeonly ramblings. I must admit, though, there’s nothing more important than a big, catchy hook – and boy does this song have one. I’ve caught myself humming this track’s “2013 soft grunge” inspired face-turn more than any part to any other song this year. Even the crustiest basement dweller would be a fool to deny the power of “Rock With You” by Michael Jackson. Sure, it’s jarring to hear that type of vocal crooning right after a Trapped Under Ice style, dig-it-out-hard mosh part, but dude. Just listen to it. This shit is practically undeniable.