Sophie's Floorboard: Swiz

Swiz were a four-piece hardcore punk band from Washington, DC that were originally around from 1987 to 1990, with a few reunion shows taking place in 2014. They began as a five-piece with vocalist Shawn Brown after his early stint with Dag Nasty. Following their first demo, their now four-piece line-up rounded itself out and stayed consistent until their final year. In between they managed to knock out two full-lengths, an EP, and a handful of other recorded material. Their two albums were originally released by Sammich Records, a label founded by Amanda MacKaye (sister of Ian and Alec). All their posthumous releases were done by the now well-known Jade Tree Records. One of their earlier releases was actually Swiz's discography compilation No Punches Pulled, which included everything they had put out with the exception of the With Ramsey demo, which would later also be released by Jade Tree in 2004. Members of Swiz were later active in Shudder To Think, Bluetip and Sweetbelly Freakdown.

Sonically, they are undoubtedly DC. They managed to blend the evolving melodic (dare I say emo?) sound of bands like Dag Nasty, while bringing the genre back to its raw, ferocious roots in bands like The Faith. They managed to hit an in-between era niche in the DC sound, which really makes them stand out even amongst other great bands like Ignition and Soulside. I'm not too sure if that description makes sense, so I just highly recommend giving No Punches Pulled to appreciate the band's uniquely underrated legacy. Enjoy.