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Rocky And The Sweden - City Baby Attacked By Buds LP (BLR-016)

Operating for almost 25 years in the Tokyo hardcore scene, Rocky And The Sweden kicked things off during the second golden age of Japanese hardcore in the mid-90s. With a lineup comprised of hardcore scene stalwarts having years of experience playing explosive gigs under their belt, the band was immediately a force to be reckoned with. They took no time crafting some of the most loved releases of the era, with their full lengths Total Hard Core and God Save The Green now considered to be complete classics.

As is often the case for Japanese hardcore bands to be highly measured in their approach to recording and releasing records, Rocky And The Sweden is no exception, taking well over a decade to let ideas gestate, evolve, get tested at live gigs, and become perfected before deeming them of high enough quality for public consumption. Fortunately, our ninenteen year wait was well worth it, and it’s safe to say that Rocky and the Sweden is back with a bang (or should we say back with a bong?), and has shattered any expectations for what a great Japanese hardcore record should sound like.

Rocky And The Sweden has taken the traditional Japanese hardcore trappings of their predecessors and made it even more relentless. With catchier hooks and memorable choruses uniquely borrowing from their love of first and second wave U.K. punk, the band has worn this adoration almost as a badge of pride through their career. With City Baby Attacked By Buds, the band has delivered a record with absolute smash hits, one from which you will find it nearly impossible to tear yourself away.

This is the U.S. release of City Baby Attacked By Buds, originally intended to be sold exclusively at the band’s now-postponed North American debut shows. This pressing is limited to 300 copies on resin color vinyl with half of the copies being saved for the band’s inevitable American appearance.

Brooklyn-based record label specializing in reissues of the Japanese underground.

1. shop.materialworldrecords.com