The hope for a band to “return to their roots” is a phrase that has been thrown around so much in modern music, it has begun to lose its meaning. As with the roots of a tree, a band’s roots are always there, securing the foundation of their sound, no matter how many different directions it may branch out into.
Starting in the nineties and still continuing to this day in 2023, it’s safe to say the Riot Grrrl movement isn’t dying out any time soon. New bands such as all-female hardcore punk trio Death Pill continue to emerge from the shadows, and this one has a debut album that’s tough to forget once crawled through unsuspecting ears.
Hailing from Norwich, England, post-hardcore trio Other Half have put out their second album Soft Action (Big Scary Monsters), consolidating their presence in the modern punk scene. It is a record that keeps the adrenaline pumping throughout its fourteen-track run-through and brings solid production to an otherwise disorderly DIY kind of tone. Despite its title, the album is anything but soft.