Lost Dead “Love and Hate” Self-Released (2024)

Lost Dead are a band with a long history in Chicago’s scene. They have roots in what (I think) was Chicago’s first oi! band, Los Niños Heroes, as well as Youth Against, Pkdores and Eske.

The band released a 4-track demo back in 2022 that I thought sounded like if The Effigies came out of the late 1990s Pilsen hardcore era. This debut album has cleaner production than the demo, which dulls that early 1980s Effigies sound in favor of something muddier and darker, which I think they were going for. The Pilsen hardcore influences shine through at times, which makes me feel like I’m 16 again, reading and listening to those sorts of bands in Punk Planet.

In an era of punk and oi! where post-punk influences are a given, it’s interesting that Lost Dead are one of the few I’m aware of who have looked to the city’s own musical past for those elements. With this release, they’re up at the top of my list of bands I want to see live.