Graded on a Curve:
New Math, Die Trying and Other Hot Sounds (1979–1983)

Formed in Rochester in 1976, New Math was one of upstate New York’s first punk bands, though as compiled on Die Trying & Other Hot Sounds (1979–1983), which is available on LP, CD, and digital July 21 through the Chapel Hill-based label Propeller Sound Recordings, their approach is more aptly assessed as an energetic blend of power pop and new wave. It’s a familiar combination but a welcome one as the 11-track set has by and large withstood the test of time with panache.

Like a lot of folks I’m guessing, I first encountered the name New Math in relation to Jet Black Berries, the psych-tinged goth-horror outfit that recorded three albums for Enigma in the 1980s, and also contributed “Love Under Will” to the soundtrack to Dan O’Bannon’s 1985 zombie horror favorite Return of the Living Dead, where the band rubbed shoulders with such major names as The Cramps, 45 Grave, The Flesh Eaters, The Damned, and Roky Erickson.

Before there was Jet Black Berries, there was New Math, with both bands consisting of vocalist Kevin Patrick, bassist-songwriter Gary Trainer, guitarist Chris Yockel, keyboardist Mark Schwarz, and drummer Roy Stein. Along with a handful of singles (of which more below), New Math released the 12-inch EP “They Walk Among You” on San Francisco’s 415 Records in the USA and CBS in the UK.

In 1984, New Math issued Gardens on Brain Eater, a transitional album of sorts (as it includes a version of “Love Under Will”), but let’s rein it in; as corralled on Die Trying & Other Hot Sounds, it’s the early and unreleased stuff we’re concerned with here. Initially, power pop was a major component in their repertoire as heard straightaway on the album through “Die Trying,” a spirited galloping riff-laden mover that lingers in the neighborhood of classic status.

“Hot Sounds” connects a bit like Pure Pop/Cool Jesus-era Nick Lowe on a pot of strong coffee, and later in the record, “Can’t Get Off the Ground” reminds me more than a little of Boston’s Real Kids (of “All Kindsa Girls” fame). But punk was mentioned in the intro up above, and it’s the Killed by Death-worthy “Johnny’s on Top” that personifies the style in New Math’s early work. Additionally, “The Restless Kind” sounds like a likeably minor B-side by some late ’70s Cali band that was upping the energy without losing the melody in the days prior to hardcore.

With a deeper infusion of keyboards, it’s “Take to the Night” and “Diana” that cozy up closest to the new wave, though a better description might be what was called Modern Rock. But in New Math’s favor, they don’t lose track of the guitars. Both tracks went unreleased until previously compiled on the 1999 CD Wake the Dead. These aren’t my favorite tracks on Die Trying, but had they come out when recorded, I suspect they could’ve made some inroads into commercial rock radio.

The other tracks here are a mixed bag. I’m very fond of the ’60-ish “Angela” (it’s also very ’70s Noo Yawk-ish; you’d think they were from Brooklyn not upstate), but I’m unfortunately pretty neg on the brazen 2-Tone swipe “Older Women,” though the guitar solo and the goofy lyrics help it to go down rather easy. Raw and wavy, “Consequence” strikes me as interpolating nearly every aspect of their sound, and that’s just fine.

The rocking live cut “When I Was Young” is very UK ’77; it closes Die Trying & Other Hot Sounds (1979-1983) with a bang. If an imperfect compilation of a band that fell a little short of top tier, New Math’s highpoints considerably outnumber their missteps, and it’s hard to imagine any fan of late ’70s-early ’80s power pop, new wave, and punk not wanting this album close at hand.

GRADED ON A CURVE:
B+

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