7 Seconds
Walk Together, Rock Together

THE REVIEW

When it comes to melodic hardcore punk, many understandably turn up their noses, given the surplus of mediocre bands that since the mid-'90s have saturated the scene in the wake of the success of NOFX, Bad Religion, and Pennywise. Yet, if we look among the pioneers of the genre in the early '80s, we discover numerous more than valid bands: just think of the seminal Adolescents, Descendents, Bad Religion themselves, and last but certainly not least, 7 Seconds. The latter, born in '79 thanks to the brothers Kevin Seconds (vocals) and Steve Youth (bass; still today they carry on their creation with rather unstable line-ups) are remembered for their strongly positive and optimistic energy, a breath of fresh air in a scene otherwise traditionally pessimistic and nihilistic, even where the musical proposals became more melodic; they have only one partial precedent in the Descendents alone.

Attention: "melodic" is not necessarily synonymous with "soft," quite the opposite. 7 Seconds kicked ass, precisely by virtue of the positive energy that motivated them. What makes the album in question great, truly great (one of the best punk records of the '80s, in my opinion), their second LP after several demos, 7" EPs, and the full-length debut "The Crew" in 1984, is precisely this perfect balance between power and melody, between tupa-tupa and catchy choruses, between vitality and the urgency to express it. It's worth mentioning the Nevada band's commitment to the Youth Crew, a New York subculture akin to them, made famous not only by 7 Seconds themselves but also by Youth Of Today and Gorilla Biscuits.

This 1985 album consists of only nine tracks (it will be enriched with five live tracks in the reissue), but each one is a gem, a little-known jewel: ranging from the hardcore violence of the opener "Regress No Way", "Spread", "Strength" to memorable anthems like the splendid title track, the cover of "99 Red Balloons", "Remains To Be Seen", and especially the anthem "We’re Gonna Fight", one of the band's most famous songs. These are all tracks that immediately lodge in the memory and stay there: it is really difficult not to become fond of this album if you love certain sounds.

After this album, however, the group will start to move away from the hardcore sound, preferring more affable and relaxed melodies, always maintaining high levels: only from the mid-'90s onwards they will return to their roots, probably to align with the new melodic punk phenomenon that was booming in those years. Anyway, if you want to discover this excellent band, I recommend starting with this handful of small, great songs.