Artist: Tacocat
Album: Lost Time
Label: Hardly Art Records
Released: April 1, 2016

Here we are in 2016, and still stands Tacocat, one of the frontrunners of the northwest punk scene. This one comes from the heart for me on a lot of levels. I have always had a soft spot for this band. They are long-time friends and allies, and I have watched them grow into something truly remarkable. One of the most talented and, need I say, underrated bands from this area. They have brought us, what I believe, is their best record yet, and dare I say it, one of the best records of all of 2016. It’s more than that though. This record has it all – hooks for days, weeks, and miles. It’s a classic in its own right and I’d argue this with anyone. Play it through its entirety and you’ll understand what I’m saying here.
The band has kinda taken over as of late. They just played a Bernie Sanders rally to over 17000 people, and just today even Gillan Anderson from the X-Files has given them the salute via Twitter regarding the opening track ‘Dana Katherine Scully’. So that’s where we start. There is a pop hook here I couldn’t get out of my head for weeks. Eric’s guitar on this record is by far the best I’ve heard yet, so heavy, yet so catchy, so dark and so intense. I’m running out of descriptions so I’ll just move on.
Track by track this record is so consistent, all A sides. Not a single throwaway here, just perfection from start to finish. With ‘I hate the Weekend’, ‘Talk’ and ‘Plan A, Plan B’ they even take on a dark direction. This just blew me away and I was shocked with excitement. I knew from hearing those tracks alone this record was gonna be something completely different. This record covers all kinds of subject matter from Internet creeps to horses, swimming at night (and not listening to REM), sloppy shitty people, break-ups, hook-ups, moving furniture around the living room at two in the morning. This is just a record that feels real, like real life. It’s not trying to be cool or be something that it isn’t, it is just a true expression of culture in this generation – our struggles, our strides, our wins and losses, and in their own way, life through the band’s eyes.
I cannot express enough how good, or rather how important this record is. 2016 is hard up to bring another one to the table that does what this record has done. Please, reward yourself and go pick up a copy of this one. It’s out now and available via Hardly Art Records.

-Justin Crumpton