Record Label: No Joke Records
Genre: Hardcore
Band Link: link
Buy on Amazon.com

I’ve noticed a resurgence of sorts of NYHC-style hardcore, but – oddly enough – not in NYC. With NYHC-style bands popping up in the suburbs of Seattle and among the eyeliner bands of LA, Caught In A Trap actually has the street cred to play the pissed-off, beer-sloppy punk-on-steroids music we all pretended to love when we were 15.

Hailing from my nabe of Queens, CIAT are good in a normal, stripped-down hardcore way without being utterly boring or derivative. There are moments of exception, like the acrobatic bass work on “Look Inside” and the driven energy of..well.. “Driven,” but for the most part the band chugs along, happily ignoring today’s emo pussery, attempts at toughness, and thrash metal crappitude. They act like a band with nothing to prove – probably because they don’t need to.

Bottom Line: Straight-forward hardcore that would be mediocre if there were more of it today.
Notable Tracks: Rats Get Fat, Our Way
Overall Rating: