If you are from outside of Australia, then you might not have heard of hardcore punks Human Failure despite them being around for a few years. However, having a pretty healthy back catalogue of releases and the members having impressive Aussie punk credentials, they are definitely worth at least ten minutes of your time, coincidentally the same duration as their latest EP Urchin.
Human Failure – Urchin EP (Riot Records)
Release Date: 4th June
Words: Jools Green
The first three tracks of their five-track Urchin EP have been released as singles. First, the flat-out, hardcore blast Kick It is just forty-six seconds long but says a lot in that short time frame addressing humanity’s problem with suicide. The band told us that “it is crappy how society treats each other as a whole. The high amount of youth suicide that happens every day, no matter what your background, is appalling, and we needed to speak out.”
The next single Urchin is dedicated to their good friend who passed away.
The band said, “Donny was a mate that went way too early. He was an outgoing guy who always had time for his friends, no matter how long it had been since they last spoke.” The lyrics express that even though he’s gone, he is still in their hearts and heads, and it’s described as a brutal chunk of chugging hardcore which also has a heavy groove of an undercurrent.
This balances the track superbly and makes it a moving and addictive listen.
The final of the three singles, Barbed Wire State, is a hardcore punk song about the state of politics in Australia and how limited they are in their state and as a country with their freedom.
It has a great bass line that runs through its entirety, which I love. Hugely engaging, as is the whole track, it is mirrored by the filthy but groovy riffing, and the strong bass line, it seems, offers more support to the track than their politicians do to their country. Allegedly.
The first of the two unreleased tracks, Bondage Queen, may only be sixty-six seconds long, but it has a superbly intricate complexity to its construction with a brutal drop away in the second half. Such an engaging listen you could accidentally find yourself tied in knots from listening.
The final track, War To End All Wars, is a hardcore beast. Just under three minutes of driving riffing, that, when it drops back, does so with crushing effect, and when the tempo is up, it’s exhilaratingly engaging.
A great way to end an EP because you will want to give it another listen and why not? It’s only ten minutes!!
Listen or buy Urchin from smarturl.it/HF-Urchin-Single
