Reduced - Reduced 7" - Yellow Vinyl (/265)

Brassneck (2024)

I've written more than a few old man screeds on this site over the years.  The older I get, the less in vogue the sort of things I like to listen to tend to be.  I'd like to think it's less me being a cranky old guy that is falling out of touch and more about how bands just flat out sound different these days.  They have different touchstones and inspirations than I do.  I don't begrudge any of them, it just feels like I'm not the target for what they are doing, and that's fine.

Luckily my desire for music is satiated by reissues, lost recordings, new discoveries of old bands I missed the first time around and old folks that are still making music.  Much more rare is a new band that I'm not familiar with coming out of nowhere and hitting that sweet spot of upbeat and energetic punk with hooks and vocals that don't sound like a band started by a former Decepticon.  Enter Reduced.

This is a UK punk band that is probably a little more aggressive than the Choppers, Broccolis and Hooton 3 Cars of the world, but I still hear a kinship to that scene which is something I don't get to hear anywhere near as often as I'd like.  The music drives forward, but is still catchy.  But it's not as straightforward as you might think as I find the chord progressions veer off into unexpected places not unlike something you'd expect from Red Dons or maybe the first Estranged album.

And unlike so many No Idea/Hot Water Music growly vocal folks that seem to inhabit the bands that I would probably listen to if not for the vocals, the singer from Reduced sounds like someone singing.  There's a slight raspiness to his voice that I'm pointing out as a compliment because if it was too slick, I wouldn't like that either.  It threads the needle perfectly, meshing with the rest of the band and carrying the hooks.  This is a band that is playing loud, fast music that is catchy, has hooks and generally is the sort of music I want to listen to.  I hope they're working on a full length.

Reduced - Reduced 7":
https://brassneckrecords.bandcamp.com/album/reduced