The Stress from New York first caught my attention with their album More Than You’ll Ever Be. Released in 2024, it successfully blended street punk, Oi!, and rock ’n’ roll. It was my first taste of this band’s music, and I have to say, I really enjoyed it. Now they’re back with their second full-length album, Here First, Here Last. It’s a collaboration between the labels Try And Stop Me Records, Longshot Music, and Pils Records, ensuring distribution across Europe, the USA, and Canada. But what really matters to me is that the same chef is still cooking in this canteen, and the food tastes just as good as it did last time.
The album features an intro followed by ten songs. The basic formula remains the same: a blend of street punk and Oi!, spiced up with rock ’n’ roll influences along the way. These additions keep the overall mix from becoming monotonous. When I first started listening to the album, I had the feeling several times that I was jumping between a few slightly different bands. At other moments, it felt like a cross-section of a band’s work, as if they’d already spent years playing shows and had developed a range of different styles along the way. The Stress don’t stick to one tried-and-tested formula, nor do they feel the need to push everything in the same direction. Sometimes they turn up the heat; other times, they leave more room for melody or a rock ’n’ roll groove. The result is a sonically varied record full of different ideas, without ever losing its clear identity. Above all, this is still music for the bootboys, with plenty of drive, catchy choruses, and enough energy to work not only through your headphones but, more importantly, in a live setting.
You’ll find street punk tracks influenced by hardcore and its rhythms, such as Reap What You Sow, alongside more rock ’n’ roll-driven numbers like Preach to the Choir, which reminds me of Badterms. There are also more straightforward punk blasts in the shape of Here First, Here Last and South Ward Serenade. Then come the full-throttle tracks Rich Luke and False Pride, built around shouted Oi! choruses and a serious punch. At the other end of this varied spectrum is the highly melodic street punk singalong If I Don’t See You, which easily gets under your skin. The slower Skinhead All Alone takes a slightly different approach. It’s built around a rock ’n’ roll rhythm and a phrased vocal delivery that gradually builds towards a more intense chorus. It’s precisely these differences that make the album more than just a collection of interchangeable genre tracks. The Stress know how to play with tempo, mood, and the way they build their songs, all while maintaining their own identity. This record should appeal to fans of bands like No Time, Impact Driver, Fuerza Bruta, and Badterms. The Stress have deep roots in punk, but they’re constantly looking to enrich their sound and keep it from becoming predictable.
Another thing I appreciated was that The Stress weren’t afraid to acknowledge their influences in the booklet, listing the bands that have inspired them. This old-school touch reminded me why I started buying records in the first place. Lists of favourite bands like these often sent me down a rabbit hole of mailorders, zines, and other printed sources in search of something new that might otherwise have passed me by. In an age of the internet, two-second attention spans, and artificial intelligence increasingly replacing traditional search engines, it reminded me of a time that wasn’t really all that long ago, yet somehow already feels different. For a moment, I felt almost like Indiana Jones again, setting off on yet another expedition in an endless hunt for hidden treasures. And that feeling still has its own special magic for me.
A good record from a band that has something to say.
TOP TRACKS: False Pride, Rich Luke, Preach To The Choir
