Minneapolis three-piece HURTQUAKE come out of the gates with blistering riffs and an old school punk ethos on their most recent four-song offering demo-daze. Gritty distortion, growl-sung vocals, and a relentless energy define all four of the tracks, which range from high-speed shredders to navel-gazing anthems.

HURTQUAKE’s approach hearkens back to the early nineties bay area punk scene, where heroes like a pre-throat-surgery Jawbreaker growled out powerful bops decrying the injustices of Reagan-era neoliberalism. While the injustices of our contemporary moment feel like they outpace artists’ ability to decry them, HURTQUAKE is happy to vocally oppose the violence and inhumanity currently plaguing the nonbinary community. This is closed-fist music, either for pumping in the air or for punching a fascist.

I use the adjective “happy” intentionally, because while there’s vitriol and rage in each of these tunes, there’s also a clear joy in the music. The busy basswork careens along between the guitars’ jubilant riffage and the drummer’s thunderous pummeling. All three instruments work together to push tempo, dynamics, and melody in a unified effort that renders the whole as a unified front. (The music, united, will never be defeated.)

The self-referential title is accurate – this is a demo, rather than a finished work of studio recording. While the instruments are audible, the fidelity and mix defang what would otherwise be a formidable predator of an album. The vocals are front and center, which makes sense given the significance of the lyricism to HURTQUAKE’s identity. Yet a quick search for live performances shows the difference between this band in full splendor and the recorded product – the band in their element are unleashed, untamed, while the demo can sound declawed and docile.

Yet it does the job: the songs on demo-daze are available for posterity and reference, and HURTQUAKE’s style and impact come across as an undeniable force, a space and shape for a voice that needs to be heard.