In No Love’s relatively brief existence, the Raleigh-based hardcore band has channeled raw punk into a kind of fine art. The band’s published catalogue, all 10 songs of it, takes the bedrocks of punk—breakneck speed, raw distortion, anger—melding it with precise no-wave guitar lines and just enough pop sense to slow things down a half beat, adding an occasional “ba-da-ba-ba” chorus. Even offer a hook or two.
The band’s May 2013 demo was a full tilt introduction: six songs in under 11 minutes, each track some incarnation of head down, teeth clenched punk peppered with moments of influence beyond those standard punk blasts. By the time No Love released its second tape last September, those other influences encroached even further, especially on the brilliant “Seduce and Use,” a two-minute-plus burst of spit and indignation.
No Love singer Elizabeth Lynch’s voice sneers and jabs with seemingly little effort. On the band’s new two-song single for Sorry State Records, Lynch’s lilt and intonation transforms a straight-ahead version of punk into a sing-song rollick. “Don’t look at me, don’t talk to me, don’t even say my name,” Lynch sings on “Dogs//Wolves”, the single’s blistering A side. The listener shouldn’t dare. Coming from Lynch, those words cut far deeper than any scream could. The 7″ is the band’s first vinyl release, and it’s streaming below.
