Anytime I hear tough, scary motherfuckers making music about their feelings, sometimes even getting downright sentimental with it, I’m on board. I love that shit. I hear it in oi all the time. This stuff presents itself as straightforward traditionalist fight music, but there’s often real sensitivity in it, as well as real hooks. That’s one of the things I loved so much about Skinhead’s It’s A Beautiful Day, What A Beautiful Day, one of my favorite hardcore albums of last year. It’s also what I really like about Violent Way’s new LP.
Buffalo trio Violent Way are arguably America’s finest straight-up oi band. They work hard. They just opened Agnostic Front’s recent American tour, and they released the album Oi! This Is Violent Way in 2024. Last year, they came out with the singles “I’ll Ask You,” “They Said,” and “My Dearest Friend,” all of which appear on their new LP A Need For Something More. The album arrived today, and it’s exactly the kind of soaring, emotive stomp-around party that I wanted it to be. I hear echoes of old-school glam-rock and pop-punk in Violent Way’s attack, even though the whole thing fits comfortably within the oi lineage. Peers like Rixe’s Wattie Sharp and Bishop’s Green’s Greg Huff make appearances. Check out the LP below.
The self-released A Need For Something More is out now.
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