Self-released – 18 Oct 2022
A stone soup of hardcore (FFO: Sick of It All, Dag Nasty, Big Wig)
Be Nice is the debut effort from Knelt Before, a Oregon hardcore band who, in their own words, are “[o]ut of touch parents making music that only our kids will enjoy.” This record is posi-oriented and doesn’t have any swears (although much like a Nate Bargatze stand up special, you won’t miss them).
Knelt Before defy a uniform description within the scene. Some are straight edge while others aren’t, and some are vegan while others aren’t. Despite their differences, they maintain a mutual respect for each other’s choices and bring a positive attitude to their band.
Be Nice is a mixture of subgenres like skate punk, NYHC and melodic hardcore. Unlike other bands, Knelt Before doesn’t blend them together as much as present genres as discrete sections of their songs. Sometimes, lead singer Mark Johnston barks like a posi-core Lou Koller. Other times, the band has melodic hardcore chorus with sung vocals. Then the band brings the mosh with chugging riffs for breakdowns reminiscent of the early aughts.
As a former angry young man, album opener “Anger and Acceptance” really resonates with me. It kicks with a skate punk beat before Mark bares his soul about his transition from being a fellow angry young man into a positive role model.
It’s quickly followed by lead single “Make Your Own”, which was originally released in June 2022. Johnston barks out the verses warning about (and I’m paraphrasing) getting ground down by society’s gears. He’s joined in the chorus with cleaner vocals, which drops an earworm that will burrow into your brain. The song is catchy, but I wish the bridge served some purpose other than an excuse to mosh. (I love me a good mosh, but this feels forced.)
Another interesting song is “生きる しか ない (Live with Myself)”. Musically, it sounds like a lost CIV track—until you realize that the lyrics are in Japanese. Nevertheless, I can’t help but hum along the melody with a smile.
In the end, this is a great debut from some new/old voices in hardcore. It’s worth a listen, and I can’t wait to see what they record next.
Yo, Vinyl Nerds! You aren’t getting this LP on wax. However it is available cassette, and the seventh track, “Choices”, has been pressed onto colored five inch records. Check this out at Bandcamp if you want something unique and collectable.
Once hailing from the salty tundra of Syracuse, NY, Ben now calls the DC suburbs his home. He fell in love with punk after listening to Punk-O-Rama 3, Less Than Jake and MXPX in middle school. He loves to slam dance but is too large to stage dive.
When he’s not pretending to have exquisite musical taste, he’s raising two children, designing RPG products and practicing law. (Who knows if he’ll ever get the hang of it.)
