Character Actor - Out Of Hands 7"

 

 Dirt Cult (2018)

I recently picked up a batch of new records from Dirt Cult, a label that I implicitly trust with their releases (except those really fast hardcore leaning ones, they're not my bag so much).  There were several highlights, others that I'll be writing about soon, but I wanted to start out with this fantastic 7" from Character Actor.

While the players have previously been in bands like The Ergs, Black Wine and Night Birds, Character Actor have more in common with the sort of fuzzy guitar punk that bands like Fear Of Lipstick or The Creeps have released.  The first three songs all clock in under two minutes long and are quick bursts of punchy guitar and energetic vocals.  There's some great hooks in here and part of me wishes the band wasn't quite so economical with their time.

The final song on the 7", "72 Paperbacks," changes things up a little bit, slowing down the tempo and extending the length of the song.  It still manages to be just as impactful as the prior three with a lower key, but still driving rhythm section and some minimal, but very effective lead guitar riffs.  All in all a great debut, hopefully this isn't the last we hear from these guys.  I would absolutely pick up a full length.

Character Actor - Out Of Hands 7"
https://dirtcultrecords.bandcamp.com/album/character-actor