The Inflation Kills - Grounds For Termination Cass.

In the mid-2000s, following what might you call second-wave emo, there was an explosion of angular, mathy post-hardcore and punk acts in Southern Ontario. Bands like The Sourkeys and The Vermicious Knid and From Fiction. Bands with fiercely independent ethics. Bands interested in expressing complexity and abrasiveness inside their songcraft. It was sweaty, breakneck, volatile stuff. This was exactly the moment I entered the rock club scene, and Hamilton's The Inflation Kills were my gateway. For a certain sub-generation of locals, the band's 2005 self-titled full-length is anthemic. Ten regional classics. To my young eyes and ears, they were the vision of a great indie band: freakishly talented, hard-working, proof that replaying a tricky phrase until you've got it just so — no matter how pissy it makes the bass player — pays off. And they were inspired, unleashing a top-to-bottom new set what seemed like right on the heels of the album. There were rumours they'd go back to Chicago and record a follow-up immediately. But before anything would be pressed, the band broke up. The seven tracks left unreleased. Hometown fans would trade bootlegs of whatever was salvaged from live shows and sessions. Scenesters of a certain age talked about the lost Inflation Kills record with reverence. Now here is it, the long awaited record!