Album Notes

Durham/Chapel Hill’s Red Collar has been described as “...a taut postpunk that’s working-class, not ‘punk;’ honestly emotive, not ‘emo;’ world-weary, but anything but nihilistic.”
-Ross Grady, traianglerock.com

In the same way that their music is both popish and punk-ish, their live show is both aggressive yet playful, an explosion of energy and urgency.

Here's some other reviews of Red Collar and The Hands Up EP:

From Grayson Currin of the Independent Weekly: “Somehow, they fuse several great strains of punk—like the power plod of early ‘80s Boston band Mission of Burma and the scabrous edge of D.C.’s Fugazi—with a wide-open sense of pop. It sounds surprisingly more fresh than forced or marketed...

From Josh Spilker of Southeast Performer Magazine: “Red Collar channels the angst of the workingman in a way that hasn’t been seen in rock in a long time. Thankfully, Red Collar has enough experience and well-chosen punk-rock influences to create an energetic and convincing modern rock anthem that anyone frustrated with The Man should be proud to own....

From David Malitz of the Washington Post: "In a small bit of irony, this five-piece from Durham, N.C., is the Six Points band with the most classic D.C. indie sound, with jagged guitars and shouted vocals that recall Fugazi and Jawbox."

From the Oakroom Blog: “The music is smartened-up punk, and the lyrics are thoughful and sensitive to the plight of folks on the verge of being crushed by forces beyond their control... In addition to the well-crafted lyrics, the music is pretty smart as well: “Hands Up” makes the most of a nifty pair of interlocking guitar parts, and the “Stay” gets a jolt from some jumpy odd-time sections... Used Guitars” has knocked me out since I fi rst heard it...

From Rich Ivey of the Independent Weekly: “With its Durham-bred dischords falling somewhere between Jawbox and The Replacements, Red Collar’s recently-released Hands Up EP is an engaging clash of post-punk angularity and anthemic rock ‘n’ roll melody, not to mention one of the best local releases in recent memory..."

From Margaret Hair of the Daily Tar Heel: "When Durham’s feisty Red Collar took the stage to fi nd most of the crowd shouting along to its punk-infused set on Thursday night, there was no doubt the results would be favorable..."

From Bryan Reed at Diversions Blog: "Steeped in post-modern disillusionment, punk rock passion and the notion that the truth might hurt, but it’s always the best policy, Red Collar’s debut EP is the sound of the brokenhearted overcoming..."