Drain - California Cursed [Blue]

Drain's California Cursed is a 2020 hardcore record that sounds like a sunny day with a riot breaking out at the end of the pier, pressed here on blue vinyl.

The Santa Cruz band, fronted by the irrepressible Sammy Ciaramitaro, brought a surf-town spirit to a genre more often associated with grey skies and clenched fists. Their debut full-length on Revelation Records blends crossover thrash riffs, beatdown grooves and a party-ready attitude, and the result feels like a celebration with elbows out.

"Feel the Pressure" kicks things off with a bruising, mosh-ready charge, and "Army of One" doubles down with gang vocals and pummelling breakdowns. "Hollister Daydreamer" keeps the pit spinning, while the closing title track brings the album to a crushing, fist-in-the-air finish that sums up their whole sunburnt worldview.

The production is thick and heavy without losing the raw edge that makes hardcore so exciting live, with guitars that chug and drums that hit like a wave crashing onto the rocks, and the whole thing races past in a blur of circle pits and shouted hooks.

It's a snapshot of a band on the way up, and the blue pressing feels exactly right for a record that smells faintly of sunscreen, skate wax and sweat.