Fake Names, the punk/hardcore supergroup featuring Brian Baker (Minor Threat, Dag Nasty, Bad Religion), Michael Hampton (S.O.A., Embrace, One Last Wish), Sweden’s Dennis Lyxzén (Refused), and Johnny Temple (Girls Against Boys, Soulside) have released a new self-titled three-track EP.
“I love the EP format,” says Brian Baker. “So many of my favorite bands growing up (Damned, Clash, Black Flag to name a few) issued EPs between albums, and they were always special to me. They came in all shapes and sizes, and they were comprised of songs that were available nowhere else. Sometimes these records teased the style and sonics of a bands’ forthcoming full length, sometimes they were complete departures that sounded like different bands entirely! In all cases they were records that made me feel closer to the bands, giving me a window into what was coming next or what they did when no one was looking. The Fake Names EP was recorded in this spirit.“
The EP features three tracks, It Will Take A Lifetime, Running and Cuts You Down, and guest drumming from former Fugazi man Brendan Canty. Order it here.
Vocalist Dennis Lyxzén describes the EP’s middle track, Running, as the contradiction of “the love of music and living a life on the margins of pop-culture and making that your own.”
“Growing up as a restless soul and outsider few things defined and saved me as much as music did,” he says. “Specifically, punk and hardcore. It explained alienation and my constant need to go against the herd and to break free from expectations and paths not chosen by myself. The inherent paradox of my life is of course my innate love for all things punk and my constant need to move and grow and change and try new things. Something that punk not always embodies.”
