Punch In The Face Dish Out Exactly What They Stand For

Chicago’s Punch In The Face deliver a well-rounded, pummeling first album. Despite their lack of live shows, playing only three in 2007, Punch In The Face display their raw aggression and overall application and expansion of hardcore musical techniques on At War With Everybody. The band conveys a feeling of hostility and angst throughout the record, but expands on those themes through well-crafted songwriting, giving the listener plenty of ear candy to experience through continual listens. The title track really displays this sense of ire and rage through both music and lyrics, while incorporating solid songwriting methods. “In the city/I can’t connect/Surrounded by assholes/With no respect… Keep on pushing me/They keep on pushing me/Keep on pushing me/Everyone’s an enemy.” The lyrics have the capacity to hit home with many, whether you live in a city or not. The hardcore musical formula is preserved on this record through a combination of the four obvious elements: drums, bass, guitar, and vocals. But the difference between this band and other hardcore bands is how they use those instruments. You can hear the emotion in their playing. Punch In The Face will not be touring anytime soon, but “At War With Everybody” is a testament that this band will be going places in the future.