Even though they have a song called “Moment of Silence” this record has everything but. Pure crazed thrashing punk that brings back the feelings of rough 90’s hardcore with a patchwork of personal and political rapid fire lyrics, manic drumming, distortion on everything and noisy samples between songs. Make no mistake this ain’t some paper thin ADAT recording though, “Free Your Mind!” is fucking pummeling. Like when the 00's came around and hardcore bands starting recording on tape again and everything got saturated back to how it’s supposed to be. Warm, crunchy and bombastic. This record rips your face off. Damn it though, I liked having a face.


Our take: Iron Lung Records brings us the debut 7-song 12” EP from this New York City punk band. While I can describe most of the bands I write about for Sorry State with a few words, summing up their sound with a couple of band comparisons or a subgenre tag, Persona’s music feels totally separate from that line of thinking. Their songs sound raw, immediate, and visceral, like they come from something deeper and more personal than just thinking a certain band or style is cool. It’s impossible for me to tell whether Persona avoids copycatting by meticulously purging their music of elements that feel too familiar, or whether they just sidestep those kinds of concerns by being clear and confident about who they are as musicians and people. What I can tell you, though, is that Free Your Mind feels fresh, particularly for a hardcore record as raging as it is. The rhythms are wild, the noisy textures are rich with detail, and the performances ooze with passion. On paper, moments like the sludgy intro for “Get F*****d,” the haunting, Part 1-esque second half of “Moment of Silence,” the triumphant mosh of “Race to the Bottom,” the acid-fried United Mutation-isms of “One Way Out,” and the blasting “Pure Evil” should should sound scattered, but it all hangs together on the strength of Persona’s gravitas and their power as musicians. I’m amazed by how much Persona can pack into these 11 minutes of wild and addictive hardcore punk.