Chula Vista's Take Offense have spent the past 14 years storming venues across their native California and elsewhere, repping the Golden State on tours with Trapped Under Ice, Madball, Agnostic Front, Turnstile and more. Five years after their last release — 2013's vastly underrated United States of Mind LP — the hardcore stalwarts are set to release a new EP, Tensions on High, next week. Out March 30th via Flatspot, the recording holds fast to the wrecking crew's usual mores: which is to say, it's five bouts of crossover thrash, served up with a skate-punk sneer.
That's not to say that Take Offense are above taking risks. Consider "Just Because You Believe," a deceptively complex ripper serving as Tensions on High's closing track. A Red Fang–Metallica hybrid clocking in at nearly five minutes long (an eternity by hardcore standards), it leavens the band's acrid, Agnostic Front-y chaos with sludgy textures and psychedelic flourishes, leaving us with one of the most dynamically nuanced pit-starters of recent memory. Scorchers like this are exactly why we put Take Offense on this month's "Artists You Need to Know" — listen below.
Pre-order Tensions on High here, and scroll down to view the EP artwork's and track listing, as well as Take Offense's upcoming tour dates.
Take Offense - Tensions on High track listing:
01. "Trust"
02. "Tensions on High"
03. "Unconditional"
04. "Ometeotl"
05. "Just Because You Believe"
Take Offense tour dates:
Apr. 06-07 – Richmond, VA – The Canal Club (United Blood XII)
Apr. 12 – Pomona, CA – Characters ^
Apr. 13 – Sacramento, CA – Den of Sin ^
Apr. 14 – San Francisco, CA – Thee Parkside ^
Apr. 15 – San Diego, CA – Space Bar ^
May 22 – San Diego, CA – Brick by Brick ^
^ w/ Sheer Terror, Easy Money
^ w/ Life of Agony
