Hardcore in 2012. I don’t think anything in the genre has impressed me lately. However Lay It On The Line with this single have managed to craft something fresh whilst at the same time creates a throwback to when hardcore was less focused on who has the most pairs of Air Max’s.

From the south coast of the UK, Lay It On The Line have three tracks on offer here. The single ‘And They Stole The TV’ is a relatively straight forward hardcore song, no frills chugs and throat tearing vocals. At two and a bit minutes it’s just the right length to not become boring. For me, it’s the best track on the record and manages to carve out a niche for itself between Modern Life Is War and Sick Of It All.

Also on offer here we have two demos, ’31st October’ and ‘The Teignmouth Election’ which are more of the same but both of outstanding quality. ’31st October’ opens with a memorable riff, before the vocals kick in with fury. It’s great stuff and hopefully the band will get some recognition for their hard work. The final track ‘The Teignmouth Election’ is a minute and a half long, it’s a bit more melodic than the other tracks but still drives forward with conviction and rage.

The production here is great too; it doesn’t sound rough considering these two tracks are demos. Overall, Lay It On The Line offer us a glimpse of hope of what hardcore could be like if bands concentrated on the music. Awesome.

3.5/5

’…And They Stole The TV’ by Lay It On The Line is out now.

Lay It On The Line links: Facebook|Tumblr|Band Camp

Words by Ryan Clayton (@clayton_ryan)