LAUGHING IN THE FACE OF have been peddling their wares for a long time, slipping quietly under the radar of most people, playing DIY shows and doing it for the love of it. This is quite a familiar story and I have written similar things for bands before. The difference is that this lot, on the evidence of this record, are just fucking inspirationally good.
Tech/Skate punk – whatever the fuck you want to call it – is a dying art. And when bands do it, they often don’t do it very well, which only serves to kill it off a bit quicker. What you usually get is some Belvedere/Wilhelm Scream hero worship. LITFO though, have cultivated their own sound with this album, which just smacks of self-assurance. Take stand out track ‘Whose Line Was It Anyway’. It’s all the best parts of Lagwagon and Strung Out, with the hindsight gained from years of listening to bands like Comeback Kid and Ignite as far as we can hear; the stylings of the former bands, with the nihilistic sense of the later. It isn’t quite there with the kind of ‘fist in the air’, ‘lose you in the moment’ hardcore stylings – and a few more gang choruses would have added to the general feel, but this is about as good as UK tech punk gets. Really, if you read this review, have a listen, go to a show. It’s time bands like LITFO weren’t ignored simply because they aren’t from across the pond. They can give anyone a run for their money on the strength of this.