Bar Tape – S/T LP
With lots of fun and authenticity, Bar Tape are a breath of fresh air in a genre once considered overplayed and even unnecessary
Bar Tape is a recently formed skate/pop punk band from Dublin. The four-piece consists of Americans living in Ireland, and this self-titled album is their first after a split, singles, and two demos.
Released in January 2023 by Distro-y Records and the mysterious EpiFat (the name is surely a joke on Epitaph and Fat Wreck—as the band has been known to make flyers mocking them and other iconic labels), the Dublin quartet continued in the orgcore direction they originally started. The difference is that the sound here is much cleaner, more compact and well recorded by the drummer Colin Sick at the Karate Club and mixed by Rich Canut, there’s even some post-production work done by the DIY punk stalwart Will Killingsworth at Dead Air Studios, so that speaks for itself. The record sounds incredibly fresh, especially by the standards of the subgenre they seem to occupy.
As far as comparisons go, I would describe Bar Tape and the amazing nine songs they offer on this album as a cross between the best moments of Hot Water Music and The Lawrence Arms, with a touch of Leatherface, Face to Face and even Jawbreaker on their more emotional elements like the sixth song “Take Head”, which could easily have been on Jawbreaker’s Bivouac.
Bassist Juvenile Delinquent shares the vocal duties with guitarist Cory Hotline very well and his catchy bass lines fit perfectly with the classic pop punk riffs that somehow do not sound outdated and overplayed (very hard for this genre, respect…), while the aforementioned drummer Colin Sick manages to keep the catchy rhythms of the tracks perfectly.
Some of the songs are more emotional and heartfelt, with double, or even triple, vocals reminiscent of early Hot Water Music, making you think of past memories and forgotten dreams that you now want to achieve again, turning you into a ball of bittersweet emotions—while others are more straightforward and hardcore punk. All the songs have a positive message to keep going and persevere through life despite all its hardships. This eclectic sound of the album really makes it something different—a breath of fresh air in a genre once thought to be overplayed and even unnecessary (although orgcore enthusiasts like myself would always disagree when we hear such ignorant statements).
Bands like these show us that even the most formulaic genres of punk have something to offer when the right people are involved and the music is made with seriousness and, most importantly, a big dose of fun and authenticity.
Find their records on Bandcamp or via their label Distro-y Records, where you can buy a vinyl release of the album, as Bar Tape definitely seem to be working hard on the music. Once you’ve heard the record, I’m sure you’ll be as excited as I am about their future endeavors.
