Punk Rock Pioneers 7 Seconds Call It Quits Just Short of 40th Anniversary

The motto of most punk bands’ songs is fast, short and loud. Those adjectives would certainly characterize much of 7 Seconds’ discography, but “short” would not describe their career. Founded way back in 1980 in the city of Reno, NV, 7 Seconds would come to be a defining group in the rise of early 80s hardcore and a massive influence on 90s pop-punk artists. Just a couple years shy of the band’s 40th anniversary, the quartet has decided to call it quits for good. In a Facebook post, lead singer Kevin Seconds announces the band’s end citing “the reality of being middle-aged, working class, not terribly relevant and not being able to bounce back from injuries and personal problems.”

He adds that it was a tough decision to make just two years shy of a 40th anniversary but health and family trumps that milestone. The band, while it went through lineup changes throughout the years, always revolved around four core members. These four were two sets of brothers: Kevin Seconds and Steve Youth (aka the Marvelli brothes) and Tom Munist and Dim Menace (aka the Borhino brothers). Kevin Seconds makes that clear in the statement when he says “No more band member replacements or even fill-ins. 7Seconds is Steve, Troy, Bobby and Kev. Pretty much always has been and will be.”

While punk fans may be hoping for one last chance to catch this legendary band before they put down their instruments for good, they’re out of luck. Kevin Seconds says in the statement that while he would have loved to close the final chapter of the band with a big hometown show in Reno, that isn’t in the cards for the group. The band’s final release was in 2014, an album called Leave Light On that was released by Rise Records – a label with a multitude of bands who owe at least some of their sound to the trailblazing influence of 7 Seconds.

Just an example of the band’s influence is the fact that regarded as the first band to call themselves a “hardcore” band, doing so after their first show. Eventually they transitioned into a more accessible sound, trading breakneck pacing for slower, melodic passages. For those that are unfamiliar with the band, here are a few crucial cuts from their discography.