Rock-band chemistry is such a strange, mysterious force. You can’t just put a bunch of musicians into a room together and expect magic to happen, even if those musicians come from the same community. Every once in a while, though, a bunch of people who have been in tons of different bands come together and just speak the same language. That’s what’s going on with Washington, DC’s Hammered Hulls — technically a new band even though its musicians probably have something like a combined century of experience.

The community surrounding Dischord Records, the historically important DC punk label, has a better batting average than most when it comes to these musician combinations, though its track record isn’t exactly perfect. Hammered Hulls singer Alec MacKaye has been there from the beginning. You might know him from the Untouchables, Faith, Ignition, or that one Minor Threat cover. Bassist Mary Timony has just as much history: Autoclave, Helium, Wild Flag, Ex Hex, her solo stuff. Guitarist Mark Cisneros played with Des Demonas, Kid Congo Powers, and the Make Up. Drummer Chris Wilson was once one of Ted Leo’s Pharmacists, and he’s now in Titus Andronicus.

Hammered Hulls released a self-titled EP in 2019, and they’ve now followed it with their full-length debut Careening. Alec’s brother Ian MacKaye produced the album, and they recorded it in the historic Inner Ear Studios right before it shut down. And Careening is fucking awesome. The album draws on something like 40 years of DC punk history, but the players find their own rhythm. They play with feverish urgency, but they’ve also got that classic in-the-room thing where you can hear how comfortable they are playing with each other. We’ve posted the early tracks “Rights And Reproduction” and “Needlepoint Tiger,” and I cannot recommend the full LP enough. Listen to it below.

Careening is out now on Dischord Records.