Please Stop! - Built To Die

How about a full-length album on a 7"? Is such a thing even possible? If I had any doubts, Please Stop! has erased them entirely. 11 songs clocking in at just a tick under 13 minutes is absolutely an album in my book. So let it be said that Built To Die is the debut full-length from this Midwestern punk powerhouse. It follows last year's superb EP Power Suit and Dead Bodies, and it's out on No Front Teeth Records. Call it hardcore punk, call it snotty punk, call it whatever you like. This is some of the fiercest, smartest, and most ripping punk music you could ever hope to hear. And while no punk group is better at hitting you in the mouth with its music, Please Stop! is first and foremost a band with something to say. The lyrics on this release are remarkable. They're provocative, often unsettling, and open enough to interpretation to really make you think. A lot of these songs can be seen as social commentary - but not in a way that's obvious or heavy-handed. Staysee, as always, is a force of nature on the mic. Her vocals are the perfect combination of pissed-off, crazed, and just straight-up bad-ass. And her bandmates match her power and fury at every turn. Songs like the title track and "Faults" deliver a jolt like only the best hardcore punk can. "Born Again" and "Kill That Thing" slow the pace just a little but are equally bruising and doubly menacing. Man, Danimal sure knows how to get a raging sound on his guitar!

If you're looking to hear what's great in punk music in 2018, Please Stop! is one of the first bands you need to check out. Power Suit and Dead Bodies was a formidable debut, and Built To Die is even better. I'm amazed at how this band can pack so much substance into songs that rarely run much longer than a minute. Each of these 11 tracks hits you quick but definitely leaves an impression. Punk rock with power, intelligence, and a relentless fighting spirit is something we will always need more of. Built To Die is available in two versions from No Front Teeth: a standard edition and a limited edition with a translucent sleeve. Get on it!

   
-L.R.

https://pleasestop.bandcamp.com/album/built-to-die 
https://www.facebook.com/pleasestoprocks/
http://www.nofrontteeth.co.uk/