The Death Set Worldwide

• Words: Michael Byrne
• Label: Counter
• XLR8R Rating: 7.5/10

Centered at the leading edge of a Brooklyn-centric wave of noisy lo-fi punk outfits, The Death Set makes some of the speediest, most ADD-addled anthems out there. Much of The Death Set’s approach is splicing punk songs with rap samples and programmed beats. The somewhat amorphous trio speeds it all to amphetamine levels and grinds it into a primitive spazz, at least partially thanks to Baltimore-based frontman Johnny Sierra’s trashed-throat shriek. Worldwide is an exceptionally loud sound-mash, but when it shines, it feels like three cups of coffee and a 50-person hug; the giddy sing-a-long “Negative Thinking” will be at the top of the hipster punk heap by end of summer. Guaranteed.