Static Shock is pleased to bring the fully formed debut 12" from Sydney's NEGATIVE GEARS to the world, following a domestic pressing by Disinfect Records (Low Life, Oily Boys). Seven tracks of tightly wound post punk from a group of individuals that give you the feeling that they're looking at the glass not so much half empty, but long since spilt and with no replacement on the horizon. The type of anguish that makes you either want to scratch your head at the state of the world, or take a full on somersault onto a razor blade, being held up by an anonymous hand from your home country, much like the mateyboy on the front cover. If you've had time for bands such as DIÄT, INSTITUTE and MARBLED EYE, you should be taking 16 minutes out of your life for NEGATIVE GEARS too.

Our take: Debut release from this new Australian band. I was unaware of Negative Gears, but this 12” knocked me out. The label’s description hits the nail on the head comparing this record to Diät and Institute (I would also throw in their label-mates Low Life as another big one), as Negative Gears play post-punk with punk energy, hooks, and a noise artist’s sense of sonic texture. The mastering on this record is super hot, emphasizing the deep and propulsive bass grooves. On that sonic bedrock Negative Gears layer lots of catchy single-string guitar lines (again, very reminiscent of Institute or Crisis songs like “UK 78” and “Frustration”) and a subtle layer of synth near the back of the mix. It’s the perfect combination of catchy and richly layered. I have zero time for bargain basement post-punk, but like the aforementioned bands, Negative Gears do it right.