Back in December, I attended Citizen’s headlining tour. I arrived a bit late, but I managed to catch one of the opening acts, that act being Drug Church. Vocalist Patrick Kindlon exploded onto the stage and immediately called for crowd surfers and did not stop egging the crowd on until the set ended. His warm, raspy vocals also caught my ear as unique. Fast forward to today and I have the pleasure of reviewing their new album, Hygiene, our March 11 via Pure Noise Records.
It’s ironic to start an album with a track titled “Fun’s Over”, but it’s even more ironic given that the song itself is a great time. It’s perhaps the song most rooted in the hardcore punk sound that Drug Church has made their bread and butter. It comes and goes, clocking in at just under 2 minutes, but it serves as a nice opener to the album as a whole, if short lived. The energy continues with “Super Saturated” which is a track that I’ve found myself continuously coming back to. I love the dance between the heavy chords and the abrupt, screamed vocal passages by Patrick. “The dirt under your nails // the proof that you’ve been here” is just one instance of a lyric here that has a tinge of uproar and rebellion, which is needed for any good punk adjacent record. I enjoy how the lyric is concise and simple but also uses “the dirt under your nails” metaphorically.
“Plucked” is a small change of pace. It has a more ethereal sound that contrasts very nicely with the two previous tracks. And there are multiple changeups in the instrumental that keep the momentum going. I’d even consider “Plucked” home to one of Patrick’s best performances on the record. This leads into “Million Miles of Fun”, which is one of the first tastes of Hygiene that fans got. This track has a through line riff that is slightly grating to me ears – it almost sounds like a distorted circus. Given that the lyrics are clearly about “the way the world works” as well as the news cycle, maybe the through line motif is fitting. Well, then I can appreciate the genius but also not enjoy how it sounds. I like the energy behind the track, though, and it worked well in a live setting, I must admit.
“Tiresome” has some fantastic riffage to open the track and Patrick’s vocals are as far into screaming territory as I’ve heard on this album. Despite being the second longest track on Hygiene, the energy doesn’t let up for a second on this one, even fading out at the end on a heavy note. I think the track could’ve been more dynamic and varied, especially given its length respective to its counterparts. The transition into “World Impact” is nice, though. And “World Impact” proves to be a strong track, leaning into the band’s hardcore sound as well. It’s a bouncy song through and through, and the bridge has a nice sung passage that then repeats with slightly altered lyrics to great effect.
“Premium Offer” is a high point on the album. It’s a bit stripped back, with an alt rock focus, but the sentiment behind the song is one that nearly everyone can get behind – dealing with fake friends and toxic people. This message is conveyed with unique vocal melodies that beg to be heard. The backing vocals by Carina Zachary of Husbandry fame accent the track with such a nice touch that really brings it together.
Closing the album, “Athlete on Bench” manages to come and go without much of an impact, in my opinion. It’s a solid Drug Church song but doesn’t do anything especially good that the band has proven they can excel at – they’ve proven that multiple times within this album. I think the best moment in the closer is the belting of the lyric “Masturbation!” which always gets my attention. And I do think “I’m living between shrinking margins” is a rock-solid piece of lyricism.
Drug Church have put out a good album here. Hardcore, punk, alt rock, grunge and more litter this album’s influences and the band delivers it in a fairly unique package. There are some tracks I’m not crazy about, and the album didn’t blow my mind, but new and old fans of Drug Church should be ecstatic with this body of work. Furthermore, Patrick Kindlon’s vocals truly do not get old and they carve out a niche spot within the scene.
6.5/10
Pre-order Hygiene here before its release on March 11th. And for all things music, check back with Boolin Tunes.