Connecticut hardcore punk band Down With Rent have shared their new single ” 2008 Again’, taken from the band’s upcoming EP ‘Shithead Americana’, the impactful offering that sees the band take a swing at the increasing commercialization of nostalgia in an attempt to distract working people from the multitude of problems facing them. Loud, brash and unyielding, the track pulls no punches!
Having previously shared the stage with the likes of ‘G.B.H’, ‘La Armada’ and ‘Sick Of It All’, the band are back on the road with a mini tour to celebrate the single and subsequent EP throughout March stopping off in Harrisonburg, VA, Charleston, SC, Greenville, NC and Baltimore, MD.
Today, we have teamed up with Down With Rent to dive deep into their inspirations and influences and give you some good recommendations in the process. Check out their super interesting, varied and eclectic multi-style playlist below!
The ‘Shithead Americana’ EP outlines the political and sociological issues facing the US through a barrage of distorted guitars and dissenting commentary. ‘2008 Again’ is no different, an impactful offering that sees the band take a swing at the increasing commercialization of nostalgia in an attempt to distract working people from the multitude of problems facing them. Loud, brash and unyielding, the track pulls no punches as it opens to a fury of guitars, feedback and piercing vocal lines that lead through driving basslines and explosive drum beats to the enraged chants of the chorus.
““2008 Again” is about living in a society that’s bereft of new ideas.” – says the band. “Everything is a reboot, a sequel, or a remaster. Our actors are digitally de-aged, our leaders are elderly, and all we have is the comfort of nostalgia because no one is optimistic about the future anymore, between climate change, war, and capitalist crises. The same frame of mind that keeps us rewatching the same familiar media is what keeps us voting for the same familiar leaders who create and allow for the scary sociopolitical conditions we are in now.”
Down With Rent explains the meaning behind the track further: “Everything is a reboot, a remaster, a sequel and people in America are just desperate for something familiar and comforting and we do the same thing with our politicians. People are yearning for a time when everything seemed good, moral, or like we were heading toward a better place. The reality is that the past never really existed and there is no return to normalcy.”
Down With Rent is a four-piece hardcore punk band from central Connecticut. Their abrasive, crusty brand of punk rock has rung throughout bars, basements, abandoned buildings, tattoo shops, and skate parks up and down the east coast since 2013. Unapologetically political and strictly DIY in their approach they emulate the American hardcore bands of old but with a distinctly modern, metallic edge. Their fierce dedication to blistering live performances and an inclusive, socially conscious message has earned them a dedicated group of fans throughout the US. having previously shared the stage with the likes of ‘G.B.H’, ‘La Armada’ and ‘Sick Of It All’, the band are back on the road with a mini tour to celebrate the single and subsequent EP.
Top inspirational tracks by DOWN WITH RENT – the playlist:
Crow (Guitar):
Anti-Flag “Tearing Down the Borders”-The Terror State, 2003
Listening to Anti-Flag opened up my world to new ways of thinking in my high school years, and showed me what music could be. When this track popped up in my algorithm back in school it set me on the path to where I am now.
Reign Supreme “Mother Superior”- Testing the Limits of Infinite, 2009
“Mother Superior” brought me into the world of hardcore with their heavy, filthy, poignant music. This was also the first song our band attempted to cover, to no avail.
Wingnut Dishwashers Union(Pat the Bunny) “Never Trust a Man Who Plays Guitar”- Burn the Earth! Leave it Behind!, 2016
Pat the Bunny and folk punk changed my life and made me feel less alone in difficult times. This track and the rest of the album were on loop through much of college and opened me the door to many friendships and experiences.
clipping. “Blood of the Fang”- There Existed an Addiction to Blood, 2019
Dense, political, and intelligent music.
Rise Against “Torches”- Rpm10, 2003
2000’s melodic hardcore was my first real musical love. Rise Against was the start to everything that came after.
Trevor (Vocals):
Dangers “We Have More Sense Than Lies”- Anger, 2006
I had this song on my first iPod that I got at age 13 for about a year before I actually listened to it. I remember going on a musical binge and having just received a ton of stuff I’d never heard of (probably from Sophie’s Floorboard), and saw the white Dangers album with the rhino on it was given heavy praise. After I finally gave the song an earnest listen, I found everything that I loved about music in one place. The song structure was varied and interesting, all of the instruments had the certain brand of intensity I desired but couldn’t seem to find elsewhere, and singer Al Brown’s lyrics rewrote the book for me (and many of my friends) on how to create witty, relatable, poignant (not to mention utterly abrasive in the best possible way) lyrics that stay with you long after the album’s done spinning. I can’t recommend this band enough for people who are looking for a shred of genuine artistry and humanity in the age of repetitive, mind numbing, “content” that the algorithm worships.
Rise Against “Reception Fades”- The Unraveling, 2001
Probably the first time I ever heard someone sing and thought “I want to sound like that” was listening to Tim McIlrath of Rise Against, on their first two albums especially. It was one of my first forays into music in general, having been exposed to the punk classics first by my parents but never delving too deep. It wasn’t until Rise Against, however, that I figured out what it was I myself sought out in music. Since then, I’ve branched out dramatically, but the energy and ideas that carried their way through The Unraveling and Revolutions Per Minute (a high contender for my favorite album of all time) are always with me.
Every Time I Die “Ebolarama” – Hot Damn!, 2003
This was a band that I had heard passively over the last two decades, but didn’t really give the time of day until I saw a video from a band I liked attending their concert. Immediately, I regretted missing out for as long as I did. This band reinvented the way I look at music in their inventive song structure as well as their versatility, as they, much like Refused, are a band that fights tooth and nail through their wide range of musicality to avoid being strictly defined in the world of hardcore. It was not only this that captured my attention, but their lyricism and wit are also unmatched in their sphere. After I first heard Hot Damn!, I would never look at punk and hardcore the same. I owe quite a bit of my taste and style musically to this band, as is evident should you ask any of my friends what my favorite band is (they all know).
Refused “Liberation Frequency” – The Shape of Punk to Come, 1998
In my experience, it seems a lot of people play music to fit a certain mold, or end up creating cliques within their own scenes making it incredibly hard for new bands to break through unless they fit that mold. In turn, this also leads to the dilution of the music in its impact and its message, which I find a lot in hardcore music; a genre meant to provide a counter-culture and challenge the status quo, not simply provide an alternative.
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Refused are the antithesis of that mindset, and their music gains all the more impact because of it. Even when the band decided to call it quits, their music continued to cycle through the airwaves at a consistent rate for almost a decade, prompting a return, and proving to me that being unafraid to stand out and unapologetic in your message and approach will always leave a more potent legacy than adhering to the standards set by others.
Converge “Concubine”- Jane Doe, 2001
If there was any one band to “do it right” with every aspect of being a hardcore band, from the strict adherence to DIY ethics to the music consistently topping itself with each release, it’s Converge. This seems to be the universal opinion about this band’s fans, and for good reason. They did it all from the ground up, from the recording and production to the label and distribution, and the effects have rippled through generations of hardcore fans. The first time I heard this song, I played it probably ten times in a row. I had never heard anything like it.
Tristan (Drums)
I Built The Sky “Stellar Evolution” – The Zenith Rise, 2019
My most recent song that’s been on repeat for the past few weeks, it’s the song that plays when I’m daydreaming about being a rockstar. I only discovered that this is a solo project a day before writing this, which makes it even more impressive.
Austin Basham “All Is Well” – You and Me for Now, 2018
My other most recent repeat song, this time from an opposite genre of the musical web. The indie/folky/acoustic/etc. genre has been my most played for the past few years, and this fits right in with what I like about the genre.
Sons of the East “Hold On” – Sons of the East, 2013
If I had to pick a favorite band from the indie/folky/acoustic/etc. genre, this band is a confident top 3. Just some more easy-going, easy listening music. It’s essentially perfect.
Sum 41 “Underclass Hero” – Underclass Hero, 2007
Highschool was when I started expanding my music taste, and Sum 41 played a big part. I started listening to them when three friends and I started a little high school band. We decided to be a “punk” band. Up to this point my music taste could be summarized as RHCP and Led Zeppelin. I googled “punk music”, and the first hit I got was “Fat Lip” by Sum 41.
Red Hot Chili Peppers “Turn It Again” – Stadium Arcadium, 2006
Here it is. My favorite band growing up, my gateway into music, introduced to me by my dad. My music taste as a child was heavily influenced by my dad, and consisted of a healthy dose of alternative, classic rock, and rock & roll, and RHCP was at the forefront.
Glenden (Bass):
Bad Brains “Don’t Bother Me”- Black Dots, 1979
My father is an old Englishman who loves punk, funk, reggae, and dance music. I attribute much of my early musical exposure to him and my favorite, absolute “desert island” punk band that he showed me is Bad Brains. I remember being a very young child listening to Banned in DC in his white GMC and “Don’t Bother Me” and it’s guitar riff was my favorite song to bounce up and down to in the truck.
The Chariot “Teach:”- Wars And Rumors Of Wars, 2009
I credit The Chariot with throwing me headfirst into real hardcore. They were punk as hell but they had a rawness that no band has ever managed to outdo. I remember being in highschool watching the “Teach:” music video and it was the first time I saw a band on stage throwing themselves or their instruments into the crowd, climbing rafters, destroying amplifiers, lighting things on fire, and the crowd fucking loved it. I knew from that moment that I needed to immerse myself in this culture and find as many people as I could who shared this love of extreme music.
Flogging Molly “Rebels of the Sacred Heart”- Drunken Lullabies, 2002
I was fourteen when I first began to discover music on my own in the early YouTube days. Flogging Molly were the first band I became truly obsessed with because in my own little teenage mind, they were mine. I found them, I knew all the words, they were my first concert, accompanied by my dear father. I don’t listen to them much these days but their gleeful combination of punk and Irish folk instruments, wonderful poetry, and all those early musical memories have permanent residence in my heart and soul.
Igor Stravinsky “The Firebird (L’oiseau De Feu)- Suite (1919): Finale
I took a music theory class in high school and would later go on to get a bachelor’s degree in Music with a concentration in Ethnomusicology. I would not have achieved the same level of music appreciation that I have were it not for my high school music teacher Mr. Ned Smith. He had bizarre teaching techniques, taught me that music could be anything I wanted it to be, that nothing was bad or weird, and that love of music was the most important thing. He died a few years ago at the age of 29. I’m about as old as he was now and this piece was one of his favorites and whenever I hear it I think of him and all that he taught me.
Tom Waits “Come On Up To The House”- Mule Variations, 1999
Tom Waits is my favorite artist, musical or otherwise. He’s weird, he’s funny, he’s profound, he has a decades-spanning career full of unique, amazing records. I have a soft spot for songs whose message is one of taking care of each other and “Come On Up To The House” is the pinnacle of that sentiment. Its words are somber but hopeful: “The moon is broken, and the sky is cracked, come on up to the house”, “the world is not my home, I’m just passing through”. It essentially boils down to “The world is fucked, so you might as well come over”, and I love that idea. I like to imagine the house he’s talking about as being full of beggars, jugglers, dancers, sailors, freaks, poets, and criminals. And I strive to fill my life with as many of those people as possible.
