Pittsburgh/Philly’s Loose Nukes – not to be confused with the Loose Nukes from Houston – play hard-hitting hardcore with a skate vibe and feature (ex-)members of Blood Pressure, Dark Thoughts, Direct Control, and No Time. Hardcore Rules is a 3-minute, 3 track tape following up their phenomenal demo from last year. These tracks epitomize what people call “no frills” hardcore and stand alongside some of the best music to come out of the hit factory that is Pittsburgh hardcore and the Braddock Hit Factory. To my mind, Loose Nukes registers as Blatant Localism-era JFA by way of a riffier Blood Pressure without a d-beat or maybe even a leaner Concealed Blade without the breakdowns but carrying the same energy. Either way, this is hardcore not to be missed and just a taste of what is to come. So: keep your eyes peeled for a 7” this summer on Beach Impediment Records. Hopefully it won’t be too long before we get an LP.