Hardcore remains a universal language, and a fresh three-way split brings together musicians from three separate continents. The latest United Nations EP assembles three tracks by Combust from New York, two by Blow Your Brains Out from Tokyo, and two by Imposter from Brighton. All three bands build on the blueprint of New York hardcore from the late ’80s and early ’90s, and it’s fascinating to hear how each group interprets that template in its own way.
Forgive the typical American bias, but the Combust entries on United Nations are my favorites. Perhaps that isn’t surprising: Combust’s Belly Of The Beast was one of my top hardcore releases of 2025, and Imposter’s frontman Rory contributed guest vocals to the lead single “Our Own Breed.” “S4TC,” the longest track contributed by Combust on this split, is an outright beast of a song. The energy is relentless across all three outfits, each delivering a heavy stomp. Give the split a listen below.
The United Nations split is currently out through Streets Of Hate, and it shouldn’t be mistaken for Geoff Rickly’s Thursday side project United Nations. I doubt it has much to do with the real United Nations organization either.
