‘Hoard it all, grow their fortune, Belly full, still they want more, Forgetting what you’re living for, Take it all, that’s what they do, Fat cats, they take it all’ (Fat Cat)

Hailing from Brighton, Plastics released their first 7-inch, Plastic World, on Crew Cuts back in 2020 and they now return with their debut full-length.  The core fundamentals of their high octane, thrashing hardcore punk remain firmly in evidence, but as you might anticipate, the assurance and intensity of the delivery have taken a notable step forward.

Flesh Circuit sees Plastics explore an intriguing blend of influences.  The chunky bass lines and crisply punch drums inject a tight hardcore bounce to proceedings.  Meanwhile, the guitars draw their inspiration from the crunching riffage of late 1980s thrash metal.  Yet, there is a twist here as the guitar tone is a touch less metallic than you might expect, imbued as it is with a distinctive spaced-out fuzz.   The result is a sound that morphs between pogo punk and crossover thrash with a surprising dexterity.

The sharply energetic vocals prove adept at bridging these shifting dynamics as they map out the everyday struggle to break the constraints of stagnating relationships and a rigged economic system.  Delivered in a higher-than-average register, they lock in with a rhythmic spring in the vein of, say, Sad Boys or Exit Order, but are not shy of strutting a certain NWOBHM-inclined sense of drama when the occasion demands.  Personal stand outs are the frenetically escalating Fat Cat, the agitated stomp of Rat King, and the galloping ferocity of Swing It.