The raw and gritty sounds of Washington punks PsyOp, who seek to deliver eclectic DC hardcore in the tradition of the punk greats that influenced them, clearly demonstrate the fact that DC punk is still very much alive and well. Nuclear Family Records and Tape House will release the band's debut EP, Permanent Underclass, on cassette. Matt Redenbo (Jawbox, Jivebomb) recorded it directly to tape at Magpie Studios.
Four direct songs make up Permanent Underclass, an unrelenting showcase of punk rock ferocity which just doesn't mess around. The band performs with an impressive amount of energy, reminiscent of the artists they are striving to honor through their sound.
The EP opens with a minute-long track of pure fury. The band unfolds: "Navy Yard Burning is about the delightful thought of a fiery apocalypse ensuing from the center of Washington, D.C.s Navy Yard region, which is at the epicenter of the gentrification crisis and in particular is home to the many lobbying professionals that reside in the District."
Next track, Nirvana Junky, comes next to expand on a similar concept, and bringing the band's hardcore dynamism to full realization. "Nirvana Junky is a pretty obvious reference to the plight of the modern underclass," PsyOp unveil, "constantly searching for escapes from the stark realities of existing under the bootheels of the elite. Nirvana coming in many forms, the junky in us all finds ways to endlessly pursue its release rather than focus our efforts on organized resistance."
The longest song on the EP, Scumlord, which clocks in at just over three minutes, comes next and highlights the band's effective lyricism and evident Black Flag influence.
Permanent Underclass concludes with (Enemy) Generation, and puts its socially conscious and timely themes, together with the band's pragmatist poetry front and center. The group comments: "(Enemy) Generation was born of our frustrations with generational conflict, boomers pitted against millenials in a zero-sum game for dwindling resources. We honed this song live in packed basement shows before bringing it to Magpie Cage Studio to unleash on the world. "