A “Dischordant” Discovery

Washington, DC post-hardcore group Soul Side (sometimes known as Soulside) has just put out a rerelease and remastering of their debut EP for the famed Dischord Records, the Trigger EP along with three-song single, Bass-103. While Soul Side may not be the first band on the tip of your tongue when you think of Dischord bands from the ’80s, one listen to this record and you’ll see just how many bands took their influence from them, like New York’s Quicksand. And with members that went on to form Girls Against Boys and Seven League Boots, it’s no wonder why this band was so important.

Soul Side nailed down a solid post-hardcore sound well ahead of their time, with occasionally disjointed, often fuzzy, and totally rocking guitars and an example of how clean vocals can revolutionize a hardcore band. One of the songs that highlights this the most is the title track to the EP, “Trigger,” that sounds straight from the Fugazi school of punk, while still providing their own sound; there’s no question that this was recorded by Ian Mackaye. Listeners see their slightly — but only slightly — faster, more raw punk edge with songs like “103,” which comes from the Bass-103 single that was released the year after Trigger.

Soul Side is one of those bands that just goes to show you that, where influence is concerned, it doesn’t matter how short your run is. They broke up after three years and only a handful of releases, you can still have make a memorable splash in your music scene. Recent years have seen older, classic punk and hardcore bands either getting back together or remastering their old records, and it is a great trend. Any fan of hardcore or punk who hadn’t heard of Soul Side are given a great introduction with the Trigger/Bass-103 rerelease, and hopefully it inspires more bands who may have been lost in the shuffle to come out and show the world what was what.