Rocking out a sinister-sounding, noise-rock-leaning take on hardcore, Prize was formed in 2018. With members that have also played in such bands as Spell Runner and Throat Culture, the quartet is based out of Cohoes, New York first appeared on No Echo around the time of their 2020 debut EP, Beat In A Fair Contest.
A couple of years later, Prize dropped the 3-song Celebrate This EP, showcasing their propulsive attack further.
Debuting today on No Echo, Saint Name Index is Prize's most powerful statement yet. The lineup of vocalist Seth Eggleston, guitarist Pat Dwyer, drummer Ben Fredette and bassist Scotty keep things moving forward with a driving force that keeps your head bopping and feet tapping before the band even gets through the first few seconds of opening cut, "Station 4 (dial tone)."
If you need sonic comparisons, the material on Saint Name Index reminds me of the intensity of bands like Jesus Lizard, Deadguy, and Mclusky with hooks seeping through it all. Prize cook up a beautiful racket on this one:
"Saint Name Index was engineered by Joe Taurone (Bruiser and Bicycle, Lemon of Choice) mixed by Evan Marre (Russel the Leaf, Blue Ranger) and mastered by Mike Dvorscak," Prize vocalist Eggleston wrote me. "They’re all incredibly talented musicians. It’s cool because none of them are in the hardcore scene. It was nice stepping out of our comfort zone and getting some different perspectives on the songs. The art is a collaboration between myself and Matt Bradley (Sunbloc).
"We feel like we’ve found our voice with Saint Name Index. Our last releases read more like a path of self discovery than a representation of who we are as musicians, or as people. In my opinion, we’ve taken the best elements of our previous efforts and made something entirely our own."
Egglestong shared these promising thoughts about Prize's future plans: "We’re really excited to keep writing, and to get out there and show people what upstate is all about. There are so many great bands right now, we’re grateful to be a part of it."
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Saint Name Index is available now via Fuzz Records (cassette). The digital version is up for grabs at Bandcamp.
Prize on social media: Instagram
Upcoming Prize shows:
2/19: Fuze Box (Albany, NY) w/ Dead Heat, Wet Specimens and Stifled
2/22: Elsewhere (Brooklyn, NY) w/ Lip Critic and AFK
3/11: No Fun (Troy, NY) w/ Drug Church, Sunbloc and Cold Kiss
5/31: No Fun (Troy, NY) w/ Lip Critic and Sunbloc
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