This is the era of represses and reissues. A whole slew of releases that got out of press for years now get reprinted or reissued. Shouldn’t labels be focussing on releasing new stuff and supporting new bands? It also looks like that bringing a message in Hardcore is totally gone and that nowadays it is very hard to still bring content. All that bands now need to do is create a feeling with their music.
The fact that all these represses are done and that not many new bands get released, makes me think that the message is that real Hardcore is only a memory that needs to be awoken by represses.

Lured into it by an Instagram post, I bought the Shelter “Mantra” reissue on Roadrunner and Music On Vinyl. I always wanted a vinyl version and since these didn’t come on coloured vinyl in the past, I gladly took a copy on tomato red with orange swirls.

Shelter “Mantra” reissue on red vinyl

numbered back cover of the Shelter “Mantra” LP

God, I love the vibe on this record. Not that I listen to a lot of Punkrock but this record gets me stoked every time I listen. The year of release was 1995, probably featured on MTV and such also. Ray Cappo and band made the perfect feel good record. He even starts off with rapping on the beginning of the B-side. ‘Letter To A Friend’ is such a universal theme of friendships that end. I don’t surrender to my TV, but I do surrender to looking for and buying records on the internet at night.