Hit Bargain show their potential

Hit Bargain is a hodgepodge concoction of members from many different bands like The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, Cold Beat and Beach Fossils. As a punk band in 2018, Hit Bargain certainly is hitting their quota of political songs. Their “queencore” tracks often tackle issues of gender, politics and power. They are alongside the same punk realm as other acts like Downtown Boys and Alice Bag who have both put out albums in the last two years. Following their first EP Hit Bargain, which promoted strange live show tactics like playing while standing on male’s faces to represent male patriarchy,  the band is back with their newest release Potential Maximizer off of Buzz Records.

The album’s cover shows a small dagger and that really does encapsulate the record – it’s quick yet hard-hitting. The first track “Hell is Real” has a catchy guitar riff courtesy of Mike Barron while the lead singer Nora Singh channels her anger with her vocals. It’s a track that does a good job of repeating itself, like in the guitar riff, but changes enough in unexpected places to remain fresh.

The second track “Capitulate” is one of the singles for Potential Maximizer and it must be a doozy considering the band has it listed for a cool $100 on Bandcamp for digital download. Can any song be worth $100? Well, it’s not a very punk motion, but for what it’s worth this is a good track. The song talks about the loss of power when giving up on resistance, essentially the definition of the S.A.T. word “Capitulate,” while keeping the instrumental qualities that are seen everywhere throughout the record.

“Architects” has maybe the best guitar riff on the album during the chorus as Singh questions “Who are the architects?” The guitar solo also has great bass that keeps the song steady during the frenzy that is the solo. “Tourist of my Desire” is very recent era At the Drive-In in its doomy post-hardcore elements. It’s a bit unorganized at times and really goes off the rails at the end of the track where all the instruments sort of clash together.  This disorganization tends to work in the album’s closer “I Was Born” where the guitar riff and drums contrast in a way that is rhythmic and groovy.

Potential Maximizer does tire by its end. A lot of the songs tend to blend in, especially with Singh’s distinct vocals. The album does take risks though, and that is something to acknowledge. The instrumentation is very chaotic and at times can be a beautiful mixture, and others a confused mess. If anything, Potential Maximizer does do a good job of introducing Hit Bargain to the uninitiated.