Criminal Code Are Post-Post-Goth-Punk's Saving Grace

In 2014, the bottom fell out of the goth-punk market. There were no more secondhand Christian Death riffs to plunder, there was barely anything left to reissue. Panic ensued. Teeth gnashed and sorrow filled the air. Thousands jumped from the second floor of the Sacred Bones offices, ankles only spared from spraining by the studs on their Amebix Brand motorcycle boots. Black clothes got, somehow, blacker and bats that were released, though loved, never returned. Dark days indeed, 2014.

Who can survive in this post-post-(uh…post?)-goth-punk dystopian world? Is it worth surviving in at all? The answer to the latter, my friends, is: Probably not. But we’re here, and we’re already wearing tight black jeans, so let’s figure it out. The answer to the former is: Criminal Code.

Criminal Code, Tacoma’s pride, have been, for the last few years, steadily keeping their haircuts down, staying true to their influences while steadfastly avoiding trends, and making a consistently compelling mixture of post-punk, hardcore, and, yes, dark punk. They’ve always been pretty liked, always second of four on great bills, but they’ve never really gotten their deserved due either. Hopefully that will change with the release of their upcoming Salvage EP, out soon November 1 on Cut The Cord That…Records and Erste Theke (because multi-European label releases are the best and most punk of all kinds of releases). While specifically for Criminal Code’s European tour, the EP neatly coheres and expands on their Husker Du Over A Cliff guitars and post-post (post) Wipers despair/rage. The song they’ve given Noisey to premiere is, in the parlance of the youth, a banger. Enjoy!

Criminal Code are also embarking on a lengthy European tour. Here are the dates. Don’t miss them.

11.03.2014 Kortrijk - Pits
11.04.2014 Paris
11.05. 2014 Leeds
11. 06 .2014 Glasgow
11.07.2014 London - Static Shock Fest
11. 08.2014 Antwerp - Het Bos
11.09.2014 Osnabrück - Bastard Club (tbc)
11.10.2014 Hamburg - Hafenklang
11.11.2014 Berlin
11.12.2014 Münster - Gleis 22
11.13.2014 Amsterdam - Winston
11.14.2014 Tübingen - Epplehaus
11.15.2014 Bologna
11.16.2014 Trento
11.17.2014 Zagreb - Attack
11.18.2014 Budapest
11.19.2014 Vienna
11.20.2014 Brno - Vegalite
11.21. 2014 Nuremberg - Projekt 31
11.22. 2014 Frankfurt