Hello Bastards

Tea pairing: Lemon tea with honey

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Much like Pennsylvania, D.C., and Chicago, New Jersey has had a strong hardcore scene involving bands like the Misfits, the Bouncing Souls, None More Black, The Gaslight Anthem, The Front Bottoms, and the band of the day, Lifetime.

It comes as no surprise honestly that New Jersey has a very lively punk scene seeing as how it is also home to countless other bands that have achieved superstardom, i.e. Bon Jovi and The Boss himself. While Bon Jovi may not have exactly drawn back the curtain on life in New Jersey, Springsteen most certainly has, and the same can be said for the punks of the very same state.

If you’re like me and are not a Jersey native, then to us both the state is just the Sopranos. That may not be entirely off from reality, but the music and the clubs and the singers and bands have all given their fans, and the world, a taste of their home.

On Hello Bastards, Lifetime’s sophomore record, the New Brunswick quintet shreds through a blistering arrangement of melodic emo ragers that encompass themes of death, break ups, and flat out rage.

As a release from the famous Jade Tree Records, Lifetime exemplifies the label’s emphasis on punchy emo-punk on Hello Bastards that fit well on its 1995 release following the explosion of the second wave of punk.

Following the release of their debut record, Lifetime went for a more personal and introspective direction on Hello Bastards and incorporated a melodic approach to their traditional hardcore sound.

Although frontman Ari Katz’s vocals can be slightly difficult to understand, Lifetime still manages to pack a solid emo punch through a hardcore filter. Clear influences from Minor Threat can be heard through a similar motorik but with a cover of Husker Du’s “It’s Not Funny Anymore”, Lifetime shares a possible alt rock influence.

Lifetime found a solid and devoted fan base within New Jersey’s numerous punk clubs that quickly spread to other states as they intentionally shrugged off the sometimes negative and violent tendencies of the New York hardcore scene.

Fellow Jersey punkers the Bouncing Souls also emphasized in the so-called “pogo” approach to punk where their music and scene were shaped around positivity and safety. The Bouncing Souls are not an emo band, but alongside Lifetime they both helped allow more emo groups to flourish through a safer scene.

Lifetime seems to bridge the gap between the origins of melodic hardcore with Bad Religion and Descedents and Jawbreaker on Hello Bastards and it could not have worked better. The album’s release allowed the group to support it through a tour spanning the U.S. and Europe which cemented their cult following.

In contrast to their much beloved third record Jersey’s Best Dancers, Hello Bastards finds Lifetime in the midst of maturity. Their debut, Breakdown, was a raw, through-and-through hardcore album that was good, but had little to distinguish them as different. It is their second album where Katz took to screaming from the heart where the band found their own heart.

In my opinion, Hello Bastards is a really good representation of how a band should mature. It provides a heavy dose of relatability and teenage angst that can easily grow into a stronger sound and message.

And as their first release on Jade Tree, it makes sense that the label allowed them to experiment and grow. Jade Tree has a certain knack for really getting the best out of their signed roster and Lifetime is no different.

Just over 25 years after its release, Hello Bastards stands as a testament to the sounds of the highly influential scene and acts as another addition in New Jersey’s wildly impressive roster of good music. Who knew New Jersey had more to offer than just Tony Soprano?