King Of Jeans

After the total sonic destruction and abandon of 2007's Hope For Men, this Allentown, Pennsylvania, quartet weren't in for an easy ride with their third full-length. Thankfully, it crushes with more speed, weirdness and sheer sonic weight than Hope For Men and the band's punkier debut, 2005's Shallow. While Pissed Jeans have always cribbed notes from Black Flag and Flipper, the influence of Northern spiritual cousins Nomeansno is more apparent than ever on "Half Idiot" and "Pleasure Race," while the seven-plus-minute "Spent" plays out like a crazy Ball-Hog-era Mike Watt B-side, and "Human Upskirt" has all the unrestrained hardcore attack of classic Gang Green. Pissed Jeans probably have the raddest record collection ever, and they know how to use it.

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