In Rotation: Won't Stay Dead - The Devil Was With Us

If you are looking for some new spooky tunes this Halloween, check out the new 7 song horror punk EP from Chicago's Won't Stay Dead. The songs on The Devil Was With Us combine a love of horror movies (take another look at that Night of the Living Dead poster) and conventions of the horror punk and rockabilly genres. "Withered, Tempting" is my favorite track here - it starts with a meandering bassline before jumping up to the punchy verse. The song goes through another round of this and ends ahead of the two minute mark, leaving on a high note. "Withered, Tempting" has all the elements that make this EP so fun, from the rockabilly influence to the lyrics that sound like they're describing the plot of a horror movie. Still, if this release has a theme song, it has to be "The Devil of Bedford Street." The lyrics and song title sound like they come from a horror movie, the title of the EP is in the lyrics, and the first line of the chorus "Somebody put a cross on my head and it burned" lands right on point.

"Dead Lungs" and "Plug It Up" previously appeared as an online single earlier this year. The Devil Was With Us is the band's first EP excepting that single and a three song demo. The band features Violet Staley on drums and vocals, Saffron Lehrer on bass and backup vocals and Tyler Palermo on guitar. Violet and Saffron previously appeared in the bands Melomaniac, Ultrahazard and When Flying Feels Like Falling. Won't Stay Dead played at All Hands On Deck (which was co-organized by Change the Rotation) earlier this month. If you missed that set, you screwed up but don't worry. You can catch Won't Stay Dead tonight at the Shack in Ingleside with So Pretty, Lever and Blanco Niño. More information on that show here. Pick up a CD copy of The Devil Was With Us from the band directly and stream it below/through their Bandcamp page.