Hated: 2008-2011 captures Brooklyn's
the Men at their genesis, when they were finding their voice as a raw, hungry punk/hardcore-influenced band. The release compiles tracks from the group's early non-album cassettes and vinyl singles, as well as previously unissued demos, sketches, and live tracks. Even more blistering and abrasive than initial albums like
Immaculada and
Leave Home, the majority of these recordings are filled with rusty-hinge guitar feedback, exasperated screaming, and frantic, barreling drums. While harsh and overdriven, the group's urgency is unmistakably punk, and their melodic sense is evident, even if it feels suffocated. Over the course of their career,
the Men have toned down the noise and explored numerous genres, but these early recordings indicate the band's willingness to experiment right from the start. Scattered in between the raucous noise-punk tracks are brief, instrumental genre experiments such as the self-explanatory "Free Sitar," the country stab "Cowboy Song," and the back porch stomper "California." Even the group's punk songs stretch the boundaries of the genre, with songs like "Hated" and "Ailment" including lengthy, hypnotic instrumental passages, as the band land on a riff and take it as far as it can go. The single version of "Think" is a contender for the group's most ferocious moment on record, switching between unhinged breakdowns and violent thrashing. Perhaps the most anthemic track on the album is the group's triumphant cover of
Devo's "Gates of Steel." Other grand moments include the dark, shadowy post-punk of "Saucy" and the amphetamine-spiked surf of "Captain Ahab."
Hated is an often-exhilarating scrapbook of the days when
the Men were one of the most promising bands to frequent Brooklyn venues like Death by Audio, and it provides a glimpse of where the band would go from there.