Playytime – The Fun Never Ends

Introducing Playytime from Atlanta, Georgia. That is not a typo… it is the legit way they spell (or misspell) their name which has been a thing in punk and hardcore past (sometimes to a nauseating effect).

In a previous review,

https://meatsheetfanzine.com/scowl-ep-santa-cruz/

I laid down that sometimes you don’t need to experiment or innovate in the world of punk/hardcore. However, there are sometimes that you should/can.

But make no mistake, they are not punk past but, maybe, punk future.

Nowadays you do have to wade thru a tremendous amount of bands that are trying to do “it” but are just uninteresting, annoyingly pretentious or way too derivative (don’t even get me started on D-Beat).

But Playytime, while having unmistakably hardcore sounds, also do more. I don’t want to say it is experimental as there is very straight hardcore music here. https://playytimeatl.bandcamp.com/album/the-fun-never-ends

But they have flourishes, flavor, and are comfortable with trying new approaches to a sometimes very regimented music style.

They kind of remind me a bit of Whipping Boy, if you are familiar with that old school band, who worked with hardcore but also explored. 

Released in Mid July 2020, “The Fun Never Ends” first track “Wonder” starts off with, do I dare say a “grunge” sound to open and then some short bursts of mid tempo hardcore. You immediately start to get the idea of how they aren’t the same ol’ same ol’.

Next is Playytime ‘s title track, starting much more in the traditional way of hardcore music. As you start to settle into “ok, I’m starting to hear hardcore”…

… you get “Hit The Floor” and you are like, oh yeah… hardcore! But as familiar as it is, their flavor (the word for the day) keeps it fresh including an abrupt stop in this cut that is as satisfying as it is sort of surprising.

Then you hear “Sink In” that starts out with a slow little number making you think to yourself… ok… here is the arty part again. Then right at about 2:12 you hear the cymbal hits and you are treated with another scorcher.

“Next Life” has a very atmospheric opening that also closes it out. Again, hardcore, but not boring due to their flavor.

“Torch” is next with the probably the weirdest/best opening sounds I have heard in a long time but drops right back in to a stomper. Without warning, at 3:49 a strange silence and then a sparse set of guitar notes culminating in some send off riffage at the end. Completely unexpected but somehow, they make it work!

Then to cap it off… out of seemingly nowhere “Windlike” comes in with an almost total shoe-gaze sounding song but with more “punk” lyrics I guess but not really???

However this hits you, I hope it hits you good. It is rare I hear a band that draws me in like this with where they try to go. Dig in and good luck to them.

– Cuzface

Editor note – Playytime – Atlanta punk hardcore – great pick . I probably would have missed this band. Thanks Cuz