"Western Massachusetts' HOAX presents their highly anticipated self-titled, self-released 12 song debut LP. After a relentless string of EP's and tours, this release marks a new standard in DIY hardcore punk. Taking their pummeling, mid-tempo sound and expanding it into something far sicker and hideous, they have leveled the horizon with a series of anthems as you've never heard before. A huge collaborative effort masterfully engineered by Will Killingsworth at Dead Air studios, this LP features contributions from 14 of the underground's finest artists and comes housed in a full-color, double-scored folder enclosing 6 double-sided poster sized inserts."
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| Hoax LP Cover |
Catch Hoax playing in your city!
8/21 – Brooklyn, NY at 538 Johnson with Warthog, Crazy Spirit and Pharmakon, 8pm
8/22 – Richmond, VA at Sacred Matter (929 W Grace St) with Barge, Asylum and Nightstalker, 9pm/$8
8/23 – Savannah, GA at Spare Time (36 Martin Luther King Jr Blvd) with Nailbiter and Dead Yet?, 9:30pm/$5
8/24 – Miami, FL at Churchill’s (5501 NE 2nd Ave) with Nunhex, Prayer Chain, Street Judge, and Search and Destroy, 9pm/$5
8/25 – Tampa, FL at the Social (1909 N 15th St.), 7pm
8/26 – Tallahassee, FL at the Ghazi House, 6pm.
8/27 – New Orleans, LA at Pubic Belt with Psychic Blood, Classhole and Mystic Inane, 8pm.
8/28 – Austin, TX at Mohawk Night Club with Impalers, Kurraka, and Glue, 9pm/$8
8/29 – Marfa, TX at Padre’s with Solid Waste
8/30 – Albuquerque, NM at TBA with TBA
8/31 – Phoenix, AZ at Wall Street (2450 E Chambers St) with Gay Kiss and Berith, 8pm/$7
9/1 – Las Vegas at New Venue with Whip Hand, Nests, Value, and No Contact, 7pm/$8
9/2 – Los Angeles, CA at TBA
9/3 – San Francisco, CA at Ormolycka Sutro Baths Cave with DJ Dog Dick and Condition, Evening/$free.99
9/4 – Portland, OR at the Know with Condition and KL’ubb, 8pm
9/5 – Vancouver, BC at Anza Club as part of Distort Vancouver IX
9/6 – Day off
9/7 – Vancouver, BC in a backyard with White Lung, Absolut, and Life Form in the afternoon.
9/8 – Olympia, WA at Old School Pizzeria (108 Franklin St NE) with Hysterics and Gag, 10pm/$5
9/9 – Boise, ID at TBA with TBA
9/10 – Salt Lake City, UT at TBA with TBA
9/11 – Denver, CO at Seventh Circle (2935 W. 7th Ave.) 7PM
9/12 – TBA with TBA
9/13 – Omaha, NE at Sweatshop Gallery (2727 N. 62nd St.), with Powerslop, 7pm
9/14 – Minneapolis, MN at TBA with TBA
9/15 – Chicago, IL at Club Rectum with Cardiac Arrest, No Class, Violent End and Pillage, $8
9/16 – Detroit, MI at CAID (5141 Rosa Parks Blvd.) with Scum, Dead Church, and Diane Rehm, 8pm/$8.
9/17 – Toronto, CA at Parts and Labour (1566 Queens St. W) with S.H.I.T., Dawn of Humans, and Ruidosa Inmundicia, 7:30pm/$10
Stream the LP here!
Download the LP for free here!
Buy the LP here!
5th show into their 15 show West Coast Tour Replica and Complete Exposition have already set the bar very very high for the "local" talent to reach. The Biko Garage Collective hosted these two super shredders along with LA's Obliterations and the brand brand brand new SB/Ojai Catastrophe.
The EP starts off with the track "Meeting," an old song off the Summer Demo re-recorded and sounding much better than it's predecessor. A great track to kick off the album, with depressive lyrics sung in a desperate, poem style manner reminiscent of La Dispute and Victor! Fix the Sun. Then the song "Sergue" starts up. The song begins immediately with with feelings of being lost, scared, and overwhelmed with thought, being bombarded with emotions and feelings, but never talking about it and being quite and conserved for years. The feeling of slowly speaking your thoughts to people you feel were open-minded friends, but just up and leave as soon as they can. A feeling of always being alone with your thoughts which is followed by "K____n." This beautiful piece of instrumental music is a perfect break between mixed emotions and desperate vocals to a calming and soothing song to rest the mind. It's a nice track to keep you grounded in the album. What follows, though, is anything but relaxing and soothing. The last song to finish off the album is "Nostalgical," a track of losing friends and going separate ways. Of growing up and getting old. Imagery of working 9-to-5 jobs for money to raise a family and have a home. While you hold on to the fun times and try to live life to the most it can be, everyone has grounded themselves and are working on getting cars and security systems, further dividing your friendships.
Similar in solidity, simplicity, and subtle-ness from ItR, lead guitar hasn't lost its touch (no pun intended) and works well together with the synth in the dual combination of the opener, and a particular fan favorite, "Berelain". For some reason this song always reminds me of Halloween time or the fall in general, I suppose it just gives me that kind of feeling. Upbeat, fun, with a distinctive catchy lead synth, Nick Fotinakes lead guitar meshes together with it to create the instantly recognizable "Berelain" synth, and simple yet fun sing-along chorus, "Berelain" is the perfect opener to this album or any playlist at home or out in public. While this EP features a redone "London" from ItR I personally prefer the original, however, adding a synth, extending the song by a final chorus, redone drums and a change up from lyrics give it a bit of a different taste. From here the EP goes up with "Seawolves" "Chase the Sky" "Some Nights" and "I Know". All being on the equal level of great quality there is one that I have to hold up as the shining crown of this album, but I will get to that towards the end. Onward to the latter portion of the EP, ''Chase the Sky'', unlike the others this one has a rather darker feel towards it, a bit heavier, certainly not as memorable as the rest, but that doesn't mean its lacking on quality. Having resemblance to "Berelain" in description "Some Nights" has the same distinctive synth lead intro, while having Hawley present some of the stronger vocals of the album in the latter portion of the song, (I mean STRONG, listen and try doing that), Hawley builds into the stronger vocals a few portions at a time, though you can hear a taste of it in the backing vocals on occasion, "Some Nights'' is one of the stronger songs from this EP. Simple and almost appropriate, "I Know", though there isn't much I can say about this song, I can say that it is the quickest, shortest song off LBS. Simple, nothing too extraordinary it's still a fun song, and even funner live (I realize ive used that word several times, count them up). Leaving you wanting more is an appropriate way of finishing this song off, and they know it (ha). 
