Sick People - In my Nightmare 7"

2nd EP from this hardcore punk band out of Brisbane, Australia. Big, mean, and menacing, Sick People fit comfortably in that category of gnarly, oi!-inflected hardcore made popular in recent years by bands with the word "Violent" in their name (i.e. Future, Outburst, Reaction, etc.). There have been a lot of imitators of this style lately, but Sick People are worth contenders to the throne... the production on this is both huge and slightly raw, and the drums crush forward at an absolutely perfect moshable pace, with the occasional pause for a ripping, Negative Approach-type fast part. While Australia has been killing it with post-punk lately, it's rare to find a totally legit US-style hardcore band from there, but this EP from Sick People sticks out from a pretty crowded pack. Great packaging, too, including a lushly illustrated fold-over jacket and LP-style printed inner sleeve.