Restraining Order – Self-Titled EP

Among many other things, 2018 was the year that marked the 30th anniversary of the California’s seminal hardcore label New Age Records.

Ever since 1988, the label has been releasing some of the best straight edge hardcore from all over the States, and label’s founder Mike Hartsfield has also played an active role in the scene with his involvement in notable bands like Outspoken, Freewill and Dear Furious. However, we haven’t included a single New Age release on our Top Straight Edge Records of 2018 list, and that’s a shame.

Restraining Order hails from Western Massachusetts and made it into my hardcore list back in 2017 right after putting out their first demo. Followed by “Something For The Youth” EP, they had established themselves as one of the tightest in the new breed of 1980s influenced straight edge bands.

The musical direction of Restraining Order is simple enough, they are determined to revive the golden days of hardcore punk! The six tracks on this EP are brimmed to the rim with buzzing riffs and olde time straight edge vibe. Minor Threat and SSD are the most notable influences, but there’s also a fare share of ’77 and ’82 punk-rock touch that will make this record even more appealing to aging skins and punks.

Now, we’re a little bit late to the party writing about this August 2018 banger, but there are surely people who haven’t spotted it yet. This is one of the best old-school hardcore releases of last year.