Five years ago, I went to a Restraining Order show at the Crystal Palace, a Richmond punk house that has since burned down. I got there before Grand Scheme, the first band on the bill, started their set. It looked like they were going to take a little while, so I walked a few blocks to find a place that sold beer. By the time I made it back to the house maybe 10 minutes later, Grand Scheme's set was over.It sounded good when I was walking down the block, anyway. That's how this band does things. They don't waste time.
Since then, I've seen Grand Scheme, so I can assure you that they kick ass live. Over the past few years, they've become standard-bearers for the hardcore subgenre known as democore. Democore isn't a real thing, but it's a handy-enough label for the bands who play fast, mean, direct hardcore that calls back to its '80s roots and shows virtually no metal influence. It's best in short bursts, and it's often recorded crappily. Grand Scheme showed a lot of vitality on their 2020 demo and their 2023 EP Numbers Game, and now they're back with a new EP that's just called EP.
On the new record, Grand Scheme totally sell their Negative Approach-style anger-bursts. There's a lot of swagger and personality in these songs, and they never overstay their welcome. There are seven songs on this EP, and it'll take you less than 10 minutes to get through them. Listen below.
EP is out now on 11PM Records.
