Crunk – Demo 02

I’m a sucker for incendiary Japanese hardcore, and here we are, writing about another relentless release from Tokyo’s powerhouse Crunk! The band crashed onto the scene with their four-song Demo 01 and has been tearing apart Japan’s hardcore punk venues with demolishing power and steel-clad prowess ever since. The seven-inch vinyl of their first demo sold out immediately from their label Break The Records after its release in April 2021, though it has been repressed on CD several times.

Crunk gained traction overseas with the release of an iPhone shot video from their show in August 2021 at El Puente in Yokohama, capturing the explosive energy of their 15-minute live shows to the outside world in a real genuine and unadulterated way. In April 2022, one year after they brought their debut record to the world, Break The Records released Crunk’s Demo 02 proving the band’s alive and kicking, actually more potent than ever. Four more songs below the two-minute mark of straight-up hardcore punk played with menacing determination.

In its essence, Crunk draw from the Japanese classics like Bastard, Crude and Gauze obliterating everything in their path. Relying on the tried and tested old school formula, Crunk definitely meet all requirements when it comes to fast and ferocious hardcore punk with zero frills or filler while simultaneously putting the effort to sound modern and relevant with the times. The stripped-down riffs, infectious bass lines and frantically fast breakdowns, despite the rather thin production on the drums, make for a combustible hardcore recipe, but what really stand out are the vocals. The screams of singer Yuka and the overall characteristics in the sound of Crunk could be easily compared to Japanese fastcore legends Mind of Asian or contemporary hardcore bands like Tørsö, Punch, and especially Seoul, South Korea’s Slant. It’s worth mentioning that the international breakthrough of Slant also came through live footage on YouTube, including the one from the same El Puente club in 2019. Both of these Asian bands are simply amazing and I’m wondering if Crunk are working on a full-length or we’re just about to see a new demo next year.

I think a huge present for their fans—besides watching them wreaking havoc live—would be if the two existing demos appear on a collected vinyl LP with an international distribution in the States and Europe. Demo 02 is still available on CD at Discogs though. If you’re lucky you can even grab a seven-inch or a CD repress of their first demo with shipping from Japan. This band just rips!