Full Review:

Pembroke are a new name to add to your NYC underground scorecard having just released their debut album with the robust 13 song/34 plus minute “All The Brightest Pictures”. The band (who formed in late 2020) is made up of scene vets Ron Treasure on vocals (from street punk band Guns Dont Run), Supertouch guitarist Jon “Biv” Biviano and Jamie Behar from Saetia and Off Minor on the (6 string) bass. Frankie Zerilli provides the drums on this release but recently left the band leaving this new project in search of his replacement.

Opener “I’ll Be Free” gives us our first taste of the diversity that lies within the Pembroke DNA starting off with a tranquil 40 second intro before things ramp up toward the muscle and grit we would more likely associate with a NYHC act. Songs liked “Final Day” and “Bloodrats” deliver a well balanced attack of hardness as well as infectious groove while others like “Not Ok” and “Too Old” offer well thought out pieces that incorporate more laid back vibes that lead into bursts of hardcore making for some interesting dynamics. Track 10 “Wreckage” offers up a 2:20 minute instrumental jam that is straight up hard as fuck to describe which jokingly leads me to ask the question of could the dawn of Jazzcore finally be here? Two tracks later we get a cover of “Too Young To Die” by Agent Orange which originally came out in 1981.

The more I listened to “All The Brightest Pictures” the more I got caught up in its unpredictability. The album leans hardcore punk by all means but there is also a boatload of experimentation going on too. Jon’s Supertouch style of song writing is in the mix while Ron Treasure delivers a vocal performance that at times reminds me of Crown Of Thornz/Skarhead frontman Lord Ezec. With over a half hour of material it would be asking a lot to have 13 straight up bangers on a debut but they come pretty close with a mature and well rounded take on NYHC. With all the positives I just laid out I also have to point out what I think is the lone negative which is the average recording which comes off sounding cloudy putting a slight damper on an otherwise solid debut. Check this out on Bandcamp and Spotify with 12″ gold vinyl versions available through Handstand Records.