Careening

During the past 15 years or so, Dischord’s fresh output has slowed somewhat, as select new releases have shared calendar space with reissues and archival titles. But the 2022 debut full-length by Hammered Hulls offered a gloriously energized reminder of the continued vitality of the label and the scene that it has helped sustain. The cast of characters here will be a delight to any devotee of Dischord and the wider indie-rock sphere: Alec MacKaye, whose impassioned shout has been heard previously in the Faith, Ignition and the Warmers; Mary Timony on bass, returning to the Dischord fold more than 30 years after entry with Autoclave; guitarist Mark Cisneros, who had previously appeared on label releases by Deathfix and Edie Sedgwick; and drummer Chris Wilson, best known for a long tenure with D.C. mainstays Ted Leo and the Pharmacists. The album is aptly named, as the band’s core register is fierce and flailing, shaded with smart tempo changes and dynamic shifts. There’s a new poignancy in hearing these lifers crash through alternately harsh and elegant songs like “Hardest Road” and “Staggering Genius,” still tending the fire that fueled them in the early days but making space for the wisdom of age.