Atlanta hardcore miscreants Criminal Instinct have been around for a decade and a half, but they don't release too much music, possibly because the band members are constantly getting into fights and getting thrown in jail. Actually, that's not true; it's just the vibe. People in the band seem to be busy with other projects. For instance, drummer Skull is the lead skinhead in Skinhead, whose It’s A Beautiful Day, What A Beautiful Day was one of last year's best hardcore albums.
Criminal Instinct haven't released a full-length since 2019's Terrible Things — which, at 19 minutes, tests the definition of "full-length." Before today, they hadn't released any music at all since 2020, when they came out with the two-song single "Skull Fucked" b/w "6 More Miles." Today, however, Criminal Instinct return with Is It Raining At Your House?, a new EP that arrives today with, as far as I can tell, zero advance warning and no real hullabaloo.
It looks like Criminal Instinct's current lineup includes all-star producer Taylor Young, of Twitching Tongues and God's Hate and a million other bands, and Martin Stewart, of Terror and God's Hate and a million other bands, alongside longtime members Skull, Josiah Hoeflinger, Gian Farahani, and Kaleb Perdue (also of Abuse Of Power and Foundation). It's an all-star team! Is It Raining At Your House? blasts through five songs in nine minutes. The thing that always set Criminal Instinct apart is that they play fast, no-frills old-school hardcore with all the fuck-you-up swagger and intensity of today's heaviest bands. That comes through really cleanly on the new EP, which whomps a whole lot of ass. Hear it below.
The Is It Raining At Your House? EP is out now on Closed Casket Activities.
