The Washington, D.C. punk and hardcore scene is legendary, home of seminal bands like Bad Brains, Minor Threat, and Fugazi, so standing out in this arena is an accomplishment in itself. The Goons were princes of this scene from the early 1990s to the mid-2000s, basically bridging the gap between the progenitors of the 1980s and the 21st-century wave of punk that continues to thrive in increasingly scary streets of D.C. Though they have taken several breaks over the past three decades, the Goons, thankfully, are back and as loud, fast, and truthful as ever. It’s time to pogo into some new music.
“Breathe” is the second single off The Goons’ upcoming EP, Mars, and it is one minute and thirty-nine seconds of pure punk rhapsody. Recorded by D.C. punk recording pioneer Don Zientara in his Inner Ear Studio (i.e. his basement, aka, where it all started), the song doesn’t punch you in the face; it grabs you by the collar and freakin’ headbutts you into next week. The entire band generates ferocious energy with their signature “mohican-kid speed-rock” sound. Playing together for over 30 years has tightened The Goons into an ear-drum blasting, moshpit-inducing machine.
Their first newly recorded material since 2006, Mars should be eagerly awaited by punk rockers and fans everywhere, and “Breathe”, along with the currently released title track, is a perfect way to whet your palette. Singer Serge is in prime form on these songs, screaming, howling, and shouting with abandon, pushed straight at you by an unrelenting wall of punk fury. Hearing veterans of the scene still bring it like this is inspiring, as The Goons have been to an entire generation of punks in Washington, D.C., and Baltimore.
Written by Dylan Steele
