Album Review: Brutal Youth – “Bottoming Out”

By: Charnel Anderson –

Toronto transplants Brutal Youth (originally from Newfoundland) will release a 5-song, 7” EP called Bottoming Out on February 24^th via Paper + Plastick. The EP is a prototypical hardcore punk record, which has drawn comparisons to Philadelphia’s Kid Dynamite. Bottoming Out follows the band’s 2013 full-length Stay Honest, and features a more abrasive and acidic sound, though the EP is hardly a deviation from the archetypal punk influence of their earlier releases.

The album cover is a black and white photo featuring three children standing on the rocky shores of Newfoundland in the 1960’s, watching a house as it’s towed across the sea. At the time, Newfoundland’s government coaxed residents of isolated communities to resettle in urban areas tooverhaul the province’s fisheries and attract new industry.

“Some people chose to stay and fight it out, but most people gave in and literally sailed the houses that they built with their bare hands to larger city centers,” Brutal Youth’s vocalist Patty tells Bucketlist.

Emotive chaos characterizes Bottoming Out, with the foursome’s rhythm remaining frantic and steady throughout the seven minute duration of the 7-inch. Vocals scrape against the singer’s larynx, underscoring the restlessness and agitation apparent on the record, especially on the album’s title track. “Bottoming Out” winds up for a call and response—“I’m gunna snap!” retorted by shouts of “you’ve got to pull yourself together!” likened to that of a pep talk between friends who’ve known each other too long. The bitter wail of “some wounds run deep” follows the breakdown on “Rancour”, embodying the EP’s hostility. The only traces of harmony and resonance are found in the “whoa-ohs” of “Contrarion”, contrasting the records otherwise largely scathing sound.

Earlier releases from Brutal Youth hinted at this aggressive edge on Bottoming Out, though “an internal shakeup” within the band perhaps fleshed out the hostility. “The songs are definitely more aggressive and I think part of that was the frustration of having someone we cared about leaving something we all started together,” Patty tells Bucketlist, referring to the departure of their drummer, Kae. Tim O’Hara from the Lillingtons will replace Kae.

Brutal Youth is currently on tour in Europe with Jon Creeden, with pending EP release shows and another full-length in the near future.

Essential Tracks: “Rancour”, and “Bottoming Out”