HACKER - "PSY-WI-FI" 7"

 LULUS: “You wouldn’t download a car.” Yes I would and I’d blast this loud. Slammin’ fresh dose of hardcore virus from HACKER. Released by genre stalwarts @heltaskeltarecords and @beachimpediment they have provided 32-bit tracks to power up to. The easiest sonic reference would be The Rival Mob, HACKER crunch their way through Nu Scene Bostonian swingin’ riffs with rude punchy drums and a vocal delivery that is frankly intimidating. Nell was on one. And that bass tone is so gluggy, just submit and gulp it down I reckon. This joint is mean. Let it drip out all over the place. How do you kill it? Ask HACKER: they know.

NEIL BRAMLEY: Melbourne, Australia’s most feared hardcore cyber-vandal cell returns to wreak havoc on your network and your dance floors with the four-track “Psy Wi-Fi” EP. Following up the tightly-wound attack as heard on 2021’s “Pick A Path” 12”, Hacker have defragged the hardware and blown the dust out, striking again with more slightly more expansive songwriting. “Psy Wi-Fi” marks the welcome addition of a pinch more metal in the guitars and a fistful more pummel in the breakdowns to their established blueprint of direct, charging hardcore riffs, a rhythm section that is as agile as it is powerful, and one of the most expressive, capable and rabid vocalists in punk today. Update your firewall all you want, Hacker is coming. Expect them. (Neil Bramley)