The Raleigh band Bandages haven’t rushed to release a record. For all their veteran pedigree—the current lineup boasts ex-members of Double Negative and Pollution—Bandages have instead been patient and deliberate, shaping a scathing rush of dense hardcore on stage.
Even as the band prepares to make their recorded debut, a two-song entry in Sorry State Records’North Carolina Singles Series, the move highlights Bandages’ refusal of prolificacy. The songs are survivors of a scrapped LP recorded with original drummer Anthony Williams (ex-Pure Scum). Williams will return to the band after being temporarily replaced drummer Brian Quast (Polvo, Urge Overkill), whose last show with Bandages was their Saturday night gig at Hopscotch. The Sorry State 7-inch will showcase new material, but it won’t be the first recorded blast from Bandages to greet the public.
Still, if “Endless Blood”—a standalone cut culled from the abandoned LP—is an indication, Bandages’ deliberate pace will yield great rewards. The song finds an insistent and hypnotic riff and rides it just long enough to build tension for double-time lunges. Singer Jeramy Lowe snarls and bellows while guitarists Scott Williams and Sean Livingstone summon shocks of feedback from that riff. Like Double Negative, Bandages don’t shy from a hardcore heritage, but they open new possibilities within it as well.
