The way that Direct Hit! releases music is not unlike the band’s sound: short, fast, and utterly non-sensical. Their first five records were EPs numbered one through five, and from 2010 through 2014, they released seven splits with acts from around the country, from Wisconsin’s Jetty Boys to Richmond pop punk band Hold Tight’s hardcore one-off project, always managing to somehow push a little extra weirdness out of bands that needed no encouragement. And somehow, the Milwaukee-based band still found the time (and the songs) to release two full-lengths, including the excellent Brainless God in 2013.
On More of the Same: Satanic Singles 2010-2014, the band metaphorically takes a step back and looks at the past. The 11-song collection features all new takes from the band’s current lineup—frontman and guitarist Nick Woods, guitarist Devon Kay, bassist Steve Maury, and drummer Danny Walkowiak—on some of those old songs. “Brain Surgery,” from their 2011 split with Delaware punk band Tit Patrol, is one such song that gets refurbished. The new version sounds tighter than the original, but keeps the manic edge that makes Direct Hit! one of the most unique bands playing this style of pop punk today.
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Listen to “Brain Surgery” below. The record drops digitally on August 7 and physically on August 15 (pre-order here) via Red Scare, and the band is playing Denver and Chicago dates of Riot Fest as well as The Fest in Gainesville in October.
