Description

Zero Boys: Paul Mahern (vocals); Terry Hollywood (guitar); David “Tufty” CLough (bass); Mark Cutsinger (drums).
While hardcore’s story was largely told on both coasts at the very beginning, scenes sprang up everywhere trailblazers like Black Flag and Dead Kennedys played live shows. One such area, the unlikely city of Indianapolis, concealed one of hardcore’s best-kept secrets–the Zero Boys were as smart, funny, and furious as their more famous contemporaries, and their sense of pop melody and songcraft were better than most. Exuberant songs like the Who-esque “Livin’ in the ’80s” and the hyper-agitated “You Can Touch Me” race by explosively while still maintaining total clarity. Singer Paul Mahern spit out his socio-political lyrics in a rapid-fire cadence that never disintegrates into barking, and bassist David Clough is as nimble a bassist as hardcore ever saw. Though the Zero Boys sputtered out into obscurity shortly after 1982’s VICIOUS CIRCLE was released, Secretly Canadian’s reissue reminds listeners of just what could have been.