Time Capsules

When Change released Closer Still, the world was still very different. As you can see Change went on tour in Europe in February 2020. They were a brand new band and were just about to release their first LP. I’m a little hazy on the exact release date because the LP was released on two different labels on two continents and two different points of time. Plus, the world shut down soon afterward because of the Covid pandemic, an event which has blurred my already blurry sense of time. If I remember correctly, the tour press was the first variant available and remained so for a couple of months and then the album was properly released by React! and Refuse Records. But feel free to correct me. 

I remember that I really wanted to go to one of the shows, probably the one in Leipzig, but for some reason I couldn’t make it. I didn’t think much of it because it wasn’t the first time I missed out on a show. Little did I know what would happen a few weeks later and how long it would be until I’d go see a band play live. 

Closer Still was exactly what I needed at the time. Melodic hardcore with a modern twist. I really liked the reggae influence too. The lyrics were great too and on top of that, the nod to Wishingwell Records and Uniform Choice was the cherry on top. This album is also the last current record that I actively collect because collecting records has changed so much these last few years. As much as I wanted to have every copy of let’s say the Anxious LP, the first Magnitude LP or any of the Fiddlehead albums, I just couldn’t justify the expense with the myriad of variants from an ever growing number of outlets. So, Closer Still is a marker of many changes for me. I managed to collect most of the variants quite quickly. I think I only miss the second press copies and I’m not sure I want to get those to be honest. The only variant that kept eluding me was the tour press from 2020 until a few weeks ago a copy popped up for sale on Discogs for a fair price.

I didn’t have time to pull out all variants and take a group picture, but I might edit this post at one point.

Tour Press on Green Vinyl on Refuse Records /113

Tour Poster + Back Cover of the LP

The seller also graciously sent me another record with the Change LP, a split 7” by two bands I’d never listened to before. Mine, which I knew only by name, were a hardcore band from Switzerland, while Dawnbreed hailed from the south of Germany. Both bands played sort of screamo hardcore typical for the mid- to late-90s. I like both sides of the split, but I’m not sure how often I will reach to this 7”. I also dig the dystopian artwork and how the cover is part of a big fold-out poster. Also, DIY style patches that come with records need to make a comeback!

Cutting Through

One of the better demos that came out these last few years was the Cutting Through one. It was released as a cassette demo, which should be the way to go for demos (Sorry, Marcus.), but received the vinyl treatment. 110 copies on red vinyl. Can't wait for their debut LP to drop.

True Identity?

Last part of the trade with my man Paulo. I really liked the demo True Identity had released last year. So when it was announced that there would be a vinyl version of the demo I was pretty excited. I wasn't in a hurry to get a copy though, seeing that I already had the tape version I could listen to. Paulo and I worked out a deal, including the True ID demo 7", and I was more than happy with my end of the trade. Then, while the record was already in the mail, that whole story about Jim Hesketh being a sexual predator and rapist broke - and I was devastated.

Let me say this real quick here: I didn't say 'alleged' here intentionally. Nothing has been proven officially and I'm always in favour of the rule 'innocent until proven guilty'. It's an important rule, no doubt about it. But here's the thing with sexual violence towards women. In way too many cases women's accusations of men being sexual predators or rapists are dismissed by society and, even worse, the judicial system for bullshit reasons. This is a disgraceful thing to think about in 2016. However, if women in the hardcore scene in this day and age can't be sure that this is a safe space in such situations and have to doubt if they're being taken seriously when accusing someone of such actions, what good is this scene anyway? Having said that, from what I've read the support for the women coming forward with their stories has been great, and if this helps to create more awareness within the scene, then maybe something good came out of this after all.

I loved Champion and I had really high hopes for True Identity. But listening to Jim Hesketh singing about the importance of the decisions you make and about the importance of integrity felt like such a travesty to me after everything I'd read and heard. So I decided to do what I usually do at the end of a relationship gone sour: Get rid of everything that reminds of the person, or in this case band, that used to mean a lot to me. That may sound childish and immature, but that's how I deal with a situation like this. I've started to sell my Champion records and merch over the last few weeks. I don't condemn people who still listen to Champion, On, or True ID. I've actually had some good conversations with friends and people who bought Champion stuff from me about their reasons for despising Jim Hesketh, but still liking the bands he was involved in. This 7" here is no longer with me either. I remembered that one of the people buying Champion stuff from me was also looking for a copy of the True ID 7" on orange, so I just threw it in as a bonus.