Olympia’s Vexx swept through the middle of this decade with the high and holy force of a tornado, and their raw power could rearrange a sweaty collection of bodies into a tangle of wild joy. They didn’t stick around nearly long enough, but two Vexx vets continue to spread the frenzied gospel with Gen Pop, whose tightly wound compositions unite classic American hardcore with the cold menace of Australian post-punks like Ausmuteants and Total Control. The lesson here is an old one that is worth relearning again and again: punk is constantly dying, but it is also always being reborn.

by Chris Stamm