Forming

Forming, "Hate My Gutz" (DOWNLOAD)

I first found out about Crooked Direction Records when they released Weed Hounds' demo tape last year. As regular readers (uh, if there are any regular readers) know, I'm a big fan of Weed Hounds, so I was really excited when Crooked Direction contacted me about their most recent release, a seven song cassette from Long Beach's Forming. This cassette is limited to 100 copies and features 4 songs previously released on a 7" and 3 new tracks unavailable anywhere else.

"Hate My Gutz," the first track on Forming has riffs that remind me of Superchunk & sincere, almost broken sounding vocals that make me think of Jawbreaker or J Church or any number of bands whose songs got me through long drives and late nights. "The Night Before" could be a lost Dinosaur Jr. jam. In general, Forming is heavy on 80s/90s punk, alternative, and indie influences -- it's hard to imagine a fan of bands like J Church, Dinosaur Jr, Jawbreaker, Archers of Loaf, or Superchunk listening to this tape and not feeling a little smitten/swept off their feet.

If I were you, I would snap one of these hundred tapes up as soon as possible, especially if you're a fan of simple, solid, & sincere punk rock tunes.

Crooked Direction Records
Forming on MySpace

Forming, "Hate My Gutz" (DOWNLOAD)