In 1988 Washington DC hardcore band punk Swiz released their debut self-titled album on the small Sammich label. Though it came after the city’s 1985 Revolution Summer when Rites of Spring and bands on the influential Dischord label helped path a new direction for punk in the nation’s capital, Swiz [fronted by the charismatic Shawn Brown], played a similar vein of aggressive and emotional punk that fused rock and social politics.
Twenty-eight years later, Subliminal Control, a young band from Florida mines much of the same sound and approach as Swiz.
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“Leech”, a track the band have released as part of a promo for a forthcoming LP, bristles with the same angsty urgency of Swiz and the early Dischord bands such as Dag Nasty and Embrace.
Listen below and read a quick chat we had with the band’s Jess.
Noisey: Florida punk is usually associated with the Fest in Gainesville or hardcore bands from Tampa. What’s it like in Broward County?
Jess: Broward County is about an hour north of Miami, which has had a booming punk scene for decades, but due to the distance it kind of developed it’s own separate scene from Miami. Broward is more hardcore oriented while Miami is on the punk side, I love going to shows in both counties but Broward is just the shit, I love it here and the scene we have built.
What is the Fort Lauderdale Swap Shop about?
The Swap Shop it just insane and truly remarkable. It’s basically a crazy sketchy outdoor mall’s with vendors selling all types of worthless junk and knock off brand stuff on one side and then the other side is basically an open market for people to sell whatever they want out of their cars. You can find anything from guns to vagina- scented incense for sale there its Broward’s best kept treasure.
Maybe it’s the vocals but there seems to be a big melodic DC vibe on “Leech”. I’m thinking Shawn Brown era SWIZ and Embrace.
Yes that is definitely the sound we were aiming for with our newer stuff, bands like Embrace, Dag Nasty and later Minor Threat have a huge influence on our current sound.
Subliminal Control’s debut LP will be released later in 2016.