NORMS Háború És Fű LP

Sorry if I’m shouting too loudly, but there’s a new Norms record out! I can’t help but get excited by this Hungarian hardcore group. Háború És Fű is a seven-track “mini-album” and much like their 2018 full-length debut, it’s full of high-speed hardcore-punk that flails in all directions. I’m reminded of classic first-wave maniacs like Neos and Rattus, but also sense a common thread shared with current-day groups like Portland’s Reek Minds and Brisbane’s Pious Faults, as Norms are willing to push a song far beyond its acceptable limits, verging on an unstructured freakout befitting Harry Pussy. Check the b-side-opening title track, for instance, which calls to mind E-150, Antioch Arrow and Fat Day all at once, three very different groups whose energy overwhelmed their music. Norms are a crazy mess, but they’ve still got songs, and with their more-than-capable drummer (who integrates some sort of cowbell or bottle nicely), this record remains a satisfying jolt after repeated spins.