Relationship of Command

Thundering out of El Paso, Texas with the ferocity of a guerrilla firebomb come At The Drive In, touted internationally, somewhat hysterically if the press cuttings are anything to go by, as this year’s saviours of the US punk underground. But let’s be clear: this is not the water-pistol-and-facepulling aggression of most latter (Green) day punkistas or the arrested-puberty tantrum-throwing of the sportzmetaller set. This is the real deal.

ATDI are clearly influenced by the violence and government-condoned lawlessness that goes with living near the Mexican border, and while this is not a ‘political’ record, Relationship Of Command has at times an almost uncomfortable photojournalistic quality as it tears through yet another fleetingly documented scene of hopelessness and destruction. Words flood past in a near-incomprehensible, throatbleeding, screamed slipstream; but even when you can’t discern the thread, the music they make as they clash against each other, is the incendiary, status-quo-toppling din of revolution.

And there are tunes: ‘Rolodex Propaganda’’s ketamined keyboards and Iggy Pop cameo (!) provide an instantly addictive highlight, and the deeply disturbing rant of ‘Invalid Litter Dept,’ with its allusions to (nothing less than) state-sponsored murder, will still have you nodding along despite yourself.

At the Drive-In: coming soon to a coup d’etat near you.