Artist: 7 Seconds
Album: New Wind
Year: 1986
Genre: Hardcore
“I’m
not a ‘punker’, just a human being with the urge to exercise what’s in my heart
and mind.”
Right or
wrong, these are words I’ve held dear and lived by for a long time now. 7 Seconds recently announced their break-up
and it’s hit me decently hard. On one
hand, I’m saddened that I will never see another show or ever get to hear a new
record. I’m much sadder to hear that
health issues have taken this band’s 38 year career out of commission. On the other hand, I’m thankful for the time
I’ve gotten to spend with this band’s music.
The
music, lyrics and people of 7 Seconds are more import and significant to me
than any other band out there. I’ve
seen them live more than any other touring act.
They’ve been a personal and life-shaping experience. I could sit for hours reciting the words and
ideas of Kevin Seconds and attach them to social or situational aspects of my
life. Their influence on the way I
compose songs is glaring to the few that have heard them.
My 32-year journey with 7
Seconds began with this very record after a review I read in my now yellowing
copy of Death Row Zine from 1986. I can’t say the
review was overly glowing, but it was enough to make me check them out since I
was diving into the punk world at that time.
After listening to New Wind
over and over, I went on the search for the first two records…then the 7”s…and
then waited for every subsequent release.
Anyone who has followed 7 Seconds’ path knows there have been some
stylistic twists and turns, but, with all honesty, I can say I’ve loved close
to everything they’ve produced.
Fanboy? Yeah, probably.
New
Wind
saw the band make a hard pivot from their high-speed endeavors. What was unusual was that the band was only 6
years old when they made the switch to songs that were slower and more
melodic. It’s as if they knew they would
become like The Ramones if they kept going in the same direction. Let’s be honest, only The Ramones can write
the same type of record for 30 years and pull it off.
Only two songs on the album were reminiscent of what they previously
released. Of course, I didn’t know this
and had zero preconceived notions of what I was hearing. What I heard opened a whole new musical world
for me and, maybe for the first time, lyrics had something meaningful to say.
When I listen to New Wind
now, I get a whole different feeling than that angsty 16-year old I was previously,
who really didn’t know shit about the world.
Many of the songs were written about some pretty heavy subject matters
ranging from sexual assault, personal integrity, unity, keeping a positive
stance in a dark world, and breaking the mold of the bullshit, typical
tough-as-nails male facade. Every song
carries a message; some just aren’t as in your face as others. The music is raw but melodic and has quite a
unique sound. Not full on punk or
hardcore and not full on pop punk, but somewhere in between. As stated, 7 Seconds let off the gas pedal a
bit, but still retained the energy and spirit of their roots throughout the
album. They would keep evolving in this
direction until their true return to hardcore on the awesome 1999 album Good To Go.
Listen to "The Inside" here.
