Wasted Youth

About

With Wasted Youth, comparisons to Rollins-era Black Flag are common, and not far off. Both bands came from the early-‘80s Los Angeles punk scene and played brash hardcore often fueled by sociopolitical temper tantrums, but Wasted Youth never made it out of the underground. This twofer starts with its 1981 debut, <i>Reagan’s In</i> (hence Ronald Reagan’s maniacal glare on the album’s cover art, drawn by skate-rock legend Pushead). What’s almost more impressive than the raw production and lively performance is the fact that this 10-song album plays at just under 15 minutes long. Most songs are a minute or shorter, with the exception of the ferocious 1:41 opener “F**k Authority,” the anti-poser assault “Punk for a Day,” and “Problem Child.” But like most bands of this ilk, Wasted Youth began to flirt with thrash metal; its 1986 EP <i>Get out of My Yard!</i> featured “Young and Bored” and “Ethiopian Nightmare,” which sound like Keith Morris singing over early Metallica demos.

via Apple Music