Ripe out of the San Fernando Valley is our pals Banned From Japan. Holding it down for the “actual band” corner of the MNE-verse, BFJ could usually be counted on to add a 90’s skate punk aesthetic to our group picture, and while this year’s “23 Hr. Drive-Thru” is still within a stone’s throw of that, it feels more like the mid-tempo / cleaner tone song on a punk album that ages better than the rest. I’m bobbing my head while singer Matthew Earl sings “she’s no post-modern moral relativism / but sure she knows how to lie” and I’m like yes BFJ! We love the new vibe and can’t wait to see where they take their sound from here.
Bracing post-hardcore meets festival-ready rock on the Tokyo band's sharp new EP, mixed and mastered by Will Yip (Turnstile, Title Fight). Bandcamp New & Notable Feb 8, 2024