KIM PHUC

Now, when i heard there was a new band with ex-members of Aus Rotten (aka the most boring band EVER to grace the pages of Profane Existence, and that's saying a lot), i pretty much didn't give a shit, however, i'm glad to have finally given them a chance due to a friends insistence.
There's a lot of talk about Kim Phuc, and not on the strength of their name alone, they've drawn comparisons to early 80s NYC noise rock such as Live Skull, or early Swans (not seeing this, really), a grimier version of British post punk, early American hardcore, or even some weird brand of mid-to-late 80s fucked up American post-punk ala AmRep/Touch & Go. Fact of the matter, this is all true, but not quite.
Their debut 7" (which i need a copy of) offers up four tracks of dirty, fucked up, thuggish sounding punk rock, like an early 80s USHC band trying to work their infatuations with The Stooges and Wire into the mix, lyrics dealing with human misery, lust for money, self medication and all that good stuff we've come to expect from a punk rock band. It is however on their second 7", 'Wormwood star b/w Freak out the squares' where i believe the band really comes into their own. First song is a somber, yet energetic, sorta anthemic even, twin guitar attack on a mid tempo beat that simply won't give up for a good 4 minutes, with interesting noisy guitar arrangements to boot. The flip side is the winner for me, kicking things off with a building crescendo that simply snaps into a barrage of buzzsaw strumming and mean spirited, venomous punk rock. 'Are you ready to die for art?'. Absolutely.
I believe these guys have already managed to figure out their own sound and spirit, one that is grimy and mean, without falling into the trappings of 'street punk' or 'scum rock', and which can attain a certain level of sophistication without being downright 'arty'.


You can find out about Kim Phuc and where to get their records through their myspace.