Nasty and bouncy hardcore from Santa Ana, CA.

Our take: A few weeks ago we had the second tape from Santa Ana, California’s Fuga and now we have their debut in stock. While Fuga’s combination of Discharge-inspired chaos and UK82 bounce doesn’t sound super original on paper, their way of combining those styles feels fresh and unique. The killer opening track, “Orgullo Idiota,” is a perfect example. It’s built around a catchy, major-key riff that wouldn’t be out of place on an early Casualties record, moves to a simpler, more Discharge-inspired riff during the chorus and the guitar solo splits the difference, taking a simple street punk-style lead and imbuing it with a heaping helping of Bones-inspired chaos. It all sounds seamless, particularly given that the raw and desperate vocals provide a consistent through line. These are just the comparisons that pop into my head because I’m a giant record nerd; the bottom line is that this tape is raw and vital hardcore punk the way it should sound.