Swing Kids ‘Anthology’

Anthology collects the complete recorded output of Swing Kids, the short-lived but hugely influential San Diego hardcore band featuring Justin Pearson, Eric Allen, Jose Palafox and John Brady.

Formed in the mid-’90s, Swing Kids emerged from the fertile San Diego punk and hardcore scene with a frantic, genre-defying sound informed by hardcore, post-punk, jazz and the confrontational spirit that would become synonymous with Three One G. Their brief existence produced only a handful of recordings, but their influence would extend far beyond the band’s lifespan.

This collection brings together material from the band’s original self-titled 7”, including their abrasive cover of Joy Division’s “Warsaw,” the split 10” with Spanakorzo, “El Camino Car Crash,” and the recordings made when the surviving members reunited for benefit shows honoring guitarist Eric Allen, who died after the band’s original breakup.

Members would go on to play in bands including The Locust, Dead Cross, Retox, Head Wound City, Deaf Club, Yaphet Kotto, Bread and Circuits, Sweep the Leg Johnny and more, while Swing Kids’ small body of work became an enduring part of the San Diego hardcore underground.

For the first time, the band’s complete recorded history is collected in a single physical release, remastered by Brent Asbury, with layout and design by Bran Moon.