The six tracks from this criminally obscure 1980s San Gabriel Valley band included on 2020’s Valley Blvd. comp were apparently a teaser for this monster of a release. This time out you get twelve fuggin’ faboo tracks of muscular punk, every one of ’em just soaked in whip-smart pop hooks so sweet yer teeth’ll ache for weeks, recorded in 1982/’83 by a buncha fifteen- and sixteen-year-olds who had no business being this goddamned good. And, if that ain’t enough, there’s a cover of Rod Stewart’s “Maggie May” that isn’t painful to listen to?
Who the hell did these kids think they were? Fans of early Buzzcocks, Der Stab, Mad Parade (a band to which there are some connections), Posh Boy Records, and/or the more melodic side of early Southern California punk/hardcore will find tons of tuneage here to brighten up their turntable. I consider myself lucky to have seen them once way back when, and this has quickly become a personal summer staple. Great, great, great release.
–Jimmy Alvarado (Gutterwail / madparade.biz)
https://razorcake.org/steps-the-universal-studios-lp/
