In Rotation: UGLYBoNES - Growing Concerns

Chicago hardcore punks UGLYBoNES put out their second album, Growing Concerns, in January. It is 10 songs of ripping, writhing, true to the template hardcore. Fans of their first full-length, Leave Me Alone and their short-form releases will find much to thrash to here. As is often the case with hardcore, UGLYBoNES' LPs are not exactly long. Growing Concerns sticks to the quick jabs and stiff riffs that have been the grain of the band's sound. The back-to-back hits of "Grown Up" and "Office Destroyer" account for less than 90 seconds between them but represent the most brutal section of the album.

UGLYBoNES are at their best when the vocals spin off into an old West coast hardcore style sneer. The best example of this comes in the album's final track, "Lazy". The lines "Thought I cared a lot/I thought I cared a lot/As it turns out" spin off into the sneered "Don't care about anyone". Oftentimes when lyrics are repeated on this album, they get a more jagged delivery the second time around. On "SUX", the second go-around of "Can't believe I see this every day/People walk around with clouds of shame/And for what? Because of them?/Because they don't try themselves?/To be better" is one of the highlights of the album.

Growing Concerns is mostly about growing older, looking around and maybe becoming even more disgusted with what you see than you were as a teenager. That sentiment is apparent from "Set Off," which kicks things off with a jumpy intro and a raging guitar solo. Check this out if you are into hardcore. UGLYBoNES plays their album release show at Jurassic Park on Saturday with Spitback, EYESORE, SKATEGOAT, Population Control, Brain Injury and Shitizen. More information on that here. Stream Growing Concerns below.