Seditionaries: Wherewolf 7″

Description

Official reissue of the lone 7″ released by Los Angeles punk band Seditionaries. The band was around for several years but released only one single in their short time. Seditionaries were a staple in the LA Punk gig scene, and Meat House Productions (USA) and Antitodo (Europe) are extremely proud to present a reissue of this lost classic. Remastered sound cut from the bands sources, this is the best the single has ever sounded, and includes an insert with lyrics and never before seen photos.

Our take: Reissue of this obscure LA punk 45. Id never even heard of it, and its an exciting prospect to discover some unheard early LA punk at my ripe old age. I dont think anyone would call Wherewolf a great single, but it oozes charm. On Wherewolf, it sounds like the band is going for a death rock sound a la early T.S.O.L. or the punkier 45 Grave songs with its fast tempo, dramatic chord changes, and B horror lyrics. Its tough to tell if they’re being ironic because the lyrics are goofy but not overtly sarcastic, and the vocalist has a Dave Vanian-esque sense of camp. There is also no acknowledgementon the record that the band hasconsistently misspelled the word werewolf. The b-side is a cover of the Yardbirds tune Shapes of Things and its your typical punked-up take on a 60s song. While the songs themselves arent great (though they are good), my favorite thing about this single is the vibe. It sounds like a bunch of teenagers making something for themselves and their friends, like youre overhearing a conversation between a group of friends who spend all of their time together. The recording is also perfect, raw but clear, like they recorded it in a budget studio like Mystic. This reissue isnt for everyone, but if you go deep in the early California punk scene, spinning this will be a joy.