It’s not easy to live a life in opposition. It’s a fine line between principled stand and adolescent grievance, though both are cool in my book. It’s especially difficult when certain standbys, raging against the closest machine, playing non-mainstream rock, are pretty much embraced by said machine and said mainstream. And if your punk rock music depends on external politics then people will attach a narrative to you that makes the punk rock music almost an afterthought. What’s left but self-harm and seemingly pointless flailing? Baltimore’s premier bum outs, Birth (Defects) wrestles with this conundrum and largely succeeds by making potent “comic inversion of masculinity” pummeling grunt/noise rock with an eye to the future and an eye to oblivion. They live political and hate freely, just like a poor boy should.Birth (Defects) is led by one Sean Gray, who makes his puny and willful mark by co-owning Fan Death Records and spearheading a movement to draw attention to accessibility issues within and without the punk scene (btw a healthy shame on you to SXSW for rejecting Gray’s proposed panel on venue accessibility). He’s an inspiring booster of all sorts of righteousness while at the same time can be found on various social medias being a snarky jerk about all sorts of “underground” sacred cows. He’s an angry dude and a compelling front man. He’s backed by Rob Savillo (guitar) Ian Graham (bass), and Erik Wisler (drums) who conspire to make a lurching frenzy that perfectly supports Gray’s pointed misanthropy. At this juncture in history, when there are more noise bands than stars in the sky, it’s hard to stand out, but Birth (Defects) are one of the best.Birth (Defects) have a seven-inch coming out in December on Reptilian Records which makes sense as Birth (Defects) are easily the only band name dropping Killdozer in their band bio. Clearly chart success is very important to them. But, fuck it, it’s all a lost cause anyway, so might as well make a god-bullying racket.Birth (Defects) were kind enough to share the A side of their forthcoming record. It’s called “Ascetic” and it is, in the parlance of the day, a fucking banger. Check it out below.
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