After two EPs worth of hard-slamming hardcore punk since their formation in Manchester in 2019, Going Off are delivering a larger beatdown with their debut LP, What Makes You Tick? (Church Road Records) with a fresh style that mixes older and new hardcore genres with plenty of destruction all around.

In tried and true punk fashion there is barely a track that crosses over the two-minute mark. Going Off delivers quick and brutal beatdowns that will kick you in the jaw, knock you down and have you coming back into the pit for more. While the songs are short, Going Off isn’t really going for speed, instead using their brief time to turn up the aggression. The tracks within come off slow, heavy, and sludgy to mid-tempo bangers. Going Off does manage to add in a few bursts of punk-fueled speed throughout the recording. 

Jake‘s vocals are angry and focused, screaming out about familiar subjects that are always worth going off about (sorry; not sorry) such as politics and self-hatred. Combining this with the perfect amount of beatdown guitar riffs and hard-hitting drums leaves a rather impressive debut album. 

The general consensus is that Going Off is a band that is even more ferocious live and judging from the material in What Makes You Tick? I am inclined to believe it. Unfortunately, there is an entire ocean I’ll need to cross to catch a Going Off show anytime soon. 

Buy the album here:

https://goingoffhc.bandcamp.com/album/what-makes-you-tick

7 / 10

ANDREW RISCH