New York City’s Scarboro is back with their latest record, Hate Season. This punk rock trio returns with a batch of songs that will scratch an itch for fans of 1990s punk rock and hardcore. One listen to Hate Season is proof enough that this Brooklyn based band is capable of progressing their sound while staying true to their roots. Hate Season has enough appeal for an elder punk like myself who can get picky about bands and new fans of punk and hardcore who are still figuring out their tastes.
The record starts with a mid-tempo instrumental called “A Horny Intro” before jumping into the short “Midnight Special,” making the leap to breakneck hardcore that is fast and punishing. This whole first side is a meditation on hardcore punk of the past and is done extremely well. The cornerstones of what makes a solid hardcore record are there. Unexpectedly, front loading all of the hardcore songs makes this side fly by. You’d think this would throw the pacing for the rest of the record off, but starting off fast and gradually getting into slightly slower songs is a gamble that pays off.
While the second side is less hardcore, it still keeps up the tempo. It manages to steer away from being pop-punk and keep its edge. It’s not that these sides sound like two different bands, but it’s definitely a balancing act: aggression versus melody, speed versus control. This second side calms down a bit, but the quality is still there.
It’s hard to pick a highlight on this album, let alone this first side, but the Spanish-sung “Sin Futuro” and the title track “Hate Season” hit pretty hard as intense but catchy hardcore songs. If your spectrum of punk rock is wide, Scarboro has you covered. Songs like “Kitsuga” and “Suicidal Babies” give this band range, filling out the second side. It’s not even that one side is better than the other, it’s how well they complement each other.
Released on Sell the Heart Records, Hate Season is just under 30 minutes of pure punk rock, whether it’s the hardcore sounds of the first side or the more in-control and slower songs on the second. Scarboro has something for everyone. While the record feels very reminiscent of Good Riddance and early AFI, it also stands next to these bands just as well.