Arty, glammy, mathy, poppy, theatrical: Washington DC’s Shudder to Think emerged in the late 1980s as one of the most interesting bands to get slapped with the tag of post-hardcore. Persevering through productive lineup changes before transitioning to soundtrack work, they did what bands so often do; they broke up, only to reunite for shows, and now they’re fully back on the recording front, with a new digital EP “Who Sent You?” available on September 11 that follows a vinyl single from late last year. The wax and the digital, both released by Dischord Records, get a proper consideration below.
Shudder to Think made a big splash back in 1989 with their inclusion on the Dischord Records’ benefit compilation State of the Union, a grand tour of DC post-hardcore of the era with proceeds going to the A.C.L.U. and The Community for Creative Non-Violence (note that State of the Union is still available as a digital release).
“Let It Ring” was Shudder to Think’s contribution to State of the Union, closing the record in emphatic fashion, their explosiveness both soaring and stampeding as it stood apart from anything else on the album. “Let It Ring” also closes side two of Curses, Spells, Voodoo, Mooses, the band’s 1988 debut LP for Sammich Records, in a solid but lesser version than the compilation cut. Anyone interested in the band will want to hear both.
With 1990’s Ten Spot, Shudder to Think joined Dischord Records proper as they helped to stylistically broaden the label’s strongest decade. The lineup from the start was Craig Wedren on vocals, Chris Matthews on guitar, Stuart Hill on bass, and Mike Russell on drums, and so it remained through 1991’s Funeral at the Movies (find an original copy which includes a sweet version of “Crosstown Traffic”) and the following year’s Get Your Goat.
There was one more release in the original Dischord run, the fantastic “Hit Liquor” b/w “No Room 9, Kentucky” single, which unveiled a fresh lineup, with Nathan Larson, formerly of fellow Sammich Records pummelers Swiz, replacing Matthews and Adam Wade, who’d played in Jawbox, taking over the drum chair from Russell.
Both songs from the 45 are included in different versions on 1994’s Pony Express Record, their debut for major label Epic Records, a considerable success capped with the buzz-generating single “Ex-French Tee Shirt.” Riding high, their following record, 1997’s 50,000 B.C., didn’t sustain the momentum.
More lineup changes followed, including Kevin March stepping in on drums from The Dambuilders, one of the handful of bands that could flaunt a fleeting similarity to Shudder to Think. Soon enough, the band smartly steered toward soundtrack work. This included music for High Art, First Love, Last Rites, and Velvet Goldmine. In 1998, Larson left the group, and they disbanded.
There have been a few reunions and even a record, Live from Home, documenting them in performance circa 2009, but the 45 from last year, “Thirst Walk” b/w “Playback,” registers as a true rekindling of their 1990s fire as Jherek Bischoff enters on bass and the lineup expands with Clint Walsh on guitar.
Wedren’s vocals are as electrically distinctive as ever, while the band wields spring-action rock heaviness with deftness and aplomb. The new EP is brighter in the production department but not slick as the collective attack is only honed through familiarity. “Something to Do” takes a mid-’90s post-hardcore gallop (a la Jawbox) and gives it the stamp of Shudder. It’d be mighty nice to clutch a copy of this set on 10-inch vinyl. Just sayin’.
GRADED ON A CURVE:
“Thirst Walk” b/w “Playback”
A-
“Who Sent You?”
A-
