Review / 200 Words Or Less
Electric Chair
Social Capital

Iron Lung (2021) — Loren

Electric Chair – Social Capital cover artwork
Electric Chair – Social Capital — Iron Lung, 2021

This is short, fast, loud; brutal, punishing stuff. Ripping straight into it with “Bastard,” the first verse is spit-shouted in a way that, to normal people who don’t listen to this kind of thing all the time, will literally sound like he’s saying “blah blah blah, fuck shit.” It’s damn fast, and damn angry.

But speed and intense drumming isn’t enough for a good song. The chords rip and rage, but with alternately winding and chunky bridges that add layers to the fury. Those in-between moments aren’t just a pause to catch one’s breath; tonally it gives both momentum and direction to the chaos.

This 7” has 6 songs total and they each sound like timeless hardcore with heart, fury and adrenaline that doesn’t let up until the needle slips off the wax. It’s exactly what you want in the style, mixing it up just enough that all the songs sound different while merging together into riotous blast at roughly five minutes per side. The songs run at such a high rpm that the 3:03 title track that closes it out feels like a marathon.

8.5 / 10 — Loren • June 14, 2021

Electric Chair – Social Capital cover artwork
Electric Chair – Social Capital — Iron Lung, 2021

Recently-posted album reviews

Sweeping Promises

You Say I Romanticize
Sub Pop (2026)

What strikes me foremost about this record are the vocals. As the father of a 13 y.o. daughter I feel qualified to say that this person could be a pop singer. I mean I don’t really know what it takes to be one, although I’m sure that it’s more than a voice good enough to win a game show, I’ve … Read more

Moonraker

Me and the Bells
Punkerton Records (2026)

I have probably talked about this before, I knew of Moonraker through split EPs and things like that, but they didn't fully pop into my consciousness until The Forest. Me and the Bells, four years later, is their follow-up full-length and it continues the trajectory from that record while still capturing its own distinct vibe. Musically the band is heavily … Read more

Dreamwell

Hymns for the Denial of God
Prosthetic (2026)

Some records make their intentions obvious from the very beginning. They use the same structure that countless bands have for decades: verse, chorus, breakdown, payoff, and the blunt force of explaining what you are supposed to feel. Hymns for the Denial of God does something much more complex. It’s a series of difficult questions no one wants to answer, proposed … Read more