“WAKE UP ARTIFICIALISED BLIND NATION!”
How’s that for a statement? Kuala Pilah born Pusher has chanted such slogans for over a decade now – in form of ear-crunching, nail-biting, straight-from-the-alley reggae infused street punk. And they’re zombie-serious! So what we have here is a ‘kuih lapis’ of the many waves of Punk Rock: from the 77’s, a wee bit of 80’s and 90’s era, with generous hints of unadulterated blues and reggae. All compressed into the culmination of Pusher. With the absence of the Mohawks, that is.
In other words, Pusher would be a crossover of Tim Armstrong’s attitude, Mick Jones’ chunky riffage and Tom Gabel’s social-awareness – without over-doing it. They are indeed seasoned craftsmen: the quartet are also members of Malaysian punk pioneers, ‘Carburetor Dung’ (a.k.a. DUNG), ‘Freygyle’ and female-fronted ‘The Pips’. Very punk rock.
It’s safe to say that in their latest release “Our Beloved City of The Dead”, Pusher has borrowed the elements of Operation Ivy, Rancid, Against Me! and The Clash.
What more could we expect from the final bastion of grassroots socially-aware DIY, and yes folks, it is well adorned! You may get a copy of their latest release…
Yang benar,
Jimmy Iris
More info on Pusher here and here. More info on Knot Records here.
