A few months ago, the brand-new Santa Barbara hardcore band Jade Dust introduced themselves to the world with a really great demo. Jade Dust, who came together during the pandemic, are fervently dedicated to the sound of mid-’80s DC hardcore, a tributary of the genre that demands fervent dedication. That fabled Revolution Summer moment was the time that DC’s hardcore musicians, while still very much remaining hardcore musicians, opened themselves up to things like melody and vulnerability. And while there’s something a little cosplay-ish about reviving that exact sound 25 years later, the sound still rules.
Today, Jade Dust followed that demo with a new song called “Margin Of Error.” It’s the first taste of a forthcoming EP called Six Song, and the band got Don Zientara, producer of countless classic Dischord albums, to master it. “Margin Of Error” is an intense, passionate 91-second song about how little there is separating the rest of us from unhoused people and how we should all work harder at making sure they have a place to be: “Camps caught on fire/ Camps raided by police/ They’ve got to go somewhere/ Stop the sweeps.” Listen below.
“Margin Of Error” is out now at Bandcamp.