Hailing from San Francisco, California, URBAN SPRAWL is not just a band but rather a product of their environment. San Francisco is a city once known as a bohemian paradise, a safe haven for artists and weirdos, but has given way to a dystopian hell hole. In a city that seems to cater to the rich, the income inequality is painfully obvious and constantly on display. URBAN SPRAWL represents the refusal to be forgotten, priced out, or swept under the rug. Their debut 7-inch, Concrete Altar, is a manifestation of sound that represents this backwards environment—the feelings of helplessness and isolation while existing within the concrete landscape of an ever- changing world where rapid expansion crushes the soul of everyone in its path.
URBAN SPRAWL plays hardcore punk that is fast, taut, and unrelenting. Taking cues from bands ranging from 80’s legends BL’AST! and POISON IDEA, label mates THE NERVE AGENTS, to more contemporary bands VIOLENT MINDS, WASTED TIME, and GREEN BERET, their sound is reminiscent of another time without being overly retro. From punk to skin, from hardcore kid to skateboarder, their music provides a little something for everybody.
URBAN SPRAWL is a force to be reckoned with and they’re here to stay. Today, we’re stoked to give you the band’s top 10 tracks that inspired their new EP on Revelation Records! See below!
URBAN SPRAWL are: Vocals: Taylor Todd, Drums: Kurt Walcher, Guitar: Kwame Korkor, Guitar: Ian Burris, Bass: Jasmine Watson.
Kwame:
“Versus Excalibur” by Milhouse
“Take My Life” by Tear It Up
Both songs are fast, both are hard. What else is there to know?
Ian:
“Level 4 Outbreak” by The Nerve Agents
I first heard the Nerve Agents in 8th grade and it blew my little mind. Their self titled record inspired me to check out the rest of the Revelation catalogue and ultimately got me into hardcore. This song in particular seems especially relevant to the crazy times we’re living in.
“Something Must Be Done” by Antidote
It amazes me how early on this came out and how it’s still hard as nails. Raw, pissed, and urgent; the way hardcore should be.
Kurt:
“Hospitality” by Double Negative
This band can do nothing wrong in my book. Saw them for the first time in 2013 and they blew me away. Their set was chaotic, snotty and fast!
“Lifestyles” by Poison Idea
A classic in hardcore and one of the best to do it!
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Taylor:
“Better Than Me” by Dead Stop
Dead Stop is easily one of my favorite Hardcore bands and a huge influence when we started this band. Their music is lightning fast, so tight and straight forward. The rapid-fire vocal delivery is what makes this band so amazing to me. In the palm-muted part where he yells “You think you’re better than me….You think you’re better than me?!” No matter how many times I hear it, it makes me wanna stage dive straight onto my head. Would buy a ticket to Belgium in heartbeat to catch them if they reunited.
“Black Sheep” by Nihilistics
Brutal, primitive, and incredibly angry Hardcore punk. I would put them in my top 10 New York hardcore bands for sure. When I hear this song I just imagine a feral punk kid kicking over trash cans and terrorizing neighborhoods.
Jasmine:
“Joke’s on You” by Boston Strangler
Another track I’m selecting that is more so to tell you, go listen to the whole album. I chose this specific track because I always thought the end sounds like a direct rip of California Uber Alles and that sort of thing excites me. Anyway, this record is a modern classic. 80s hardcore is my bread and butter and this record has enough of those elements to satisfy those needs but just enough extra complexity to rise to the top and keep me coming back. Related to my playing on Concrete Altar, Danimal is a great bassist so listening to this always get me pumped to play bass fast, precise and with well placed flair
“Braincell Battle” by Anti-Cimex
This is my walk out song and a perfect intro to an incredible record. Just a really great example of a punk/hardcore band doing metal and doing it right. The riffs are there, the drumming is solid, a driving d-beat throughout… fully raging and in the pocket.
