The last time I was in Florida, some friends and I bought fireworks, lit them off, hit some crazy person’s house with a bottle rocket and almost got arrested for it. Long story short, I haven’t been to Florida since, nor have I even entertained the idea that Florida had any redeeming value besides birthing bands like Against Me!, No Qualms, and my personal favorite of FL. bands, Devalued. As many of you internet music nerds are probably aware, the fastcore/power violence powerhouse Punch called it quits in 2014. Many fans of the band were obviously quite sad; however, there is good news for Punch fans, because Gouge Away can fill the emptiness you felt after Punch called it a day.
Blasting out of Fort Lauderdale, Gouge Away provides listeners with that unforgettable burst of anger and contempt for capitalism that can only be paralleled by the first time you heard a Scholastic Deth record. In a time where it seems like bands are slowly becoming carbon copies of each other, Gouge Away manage to be their own unique band, while still making their influences known throughout their music. I have always been a big fan of bands that regularly incorporate their politics into lyrics and refuse to sit on the fence. Rest assured, Gouge Away are no moderate fence-sitters. Would you like to see an end to the exploitation of workers around world? How about trample the patriarchal structure which society abides by? Do you enjoy blast beats? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then Gouge Away is officially your new favorite band. If you answered no to any of these questions, then fuck off back to your frat house and finish your police academy application.
Gouge Away’s most recent release, Dies, made its way into the world in May of 2015 and is available for your listening pleasure on Eighty-Sixed Records. Along with the record, the band has done a full tour in support of it and recently played The Fest in Florida with a set time that conflicted with Andrew W.K. and still managed to draw a great crowd. If you can’t see for yourself that this band absolutely rips, then maybe you just aren’t as punk as you thought.
Live footage courtesy of Christian Costello. For more rad live shows follow his YouTube channel.
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