No Trend 'Too Many Humans / Teen Love' Box Set

In the early 1980s, Washington, DC, boasted one of the world’s most vital and distinguished hardcore punk communities. Home to Minor Threat, Dischord Records and an ascetic straight-edge lifestyle that disdained booze, sex, and drugs, the city was heralded for its loud, fast music and righteous, left-leaning politics. Hailing from the unhip suburb of Ashton, Maryland, No Trend presented a sneering alternative to that sanctimonious ethos. Cynical, surreal, and eager to call attention to the hypocrisy of both Middle American norms and supposedly free-thinking subcultures, the band mercilessly baited its audience, dressed in atrociously kitschy clothing, and antagonized fans and foes with grinding dirges and contemptuous, tragicomic lyrics. Despite much local hostility, the group managed to make a name for itself nationally, touring often and gigging with the likes of the Dead Kennedys, Sonic Youth, T.S.O.L., Hüsker Dü, The Flaming Lips, Butthole Surfers, Soundgarden, and countless others.

This compilation covers No Trend’s early records: the first LP, Too Many Humans, and two versions of the “Teen Love” EP. The inserts and ephemera from the original releases have been recreated to produce true facsimiles of these vinyl documents. The attendant CDs also tack on the group’s first demo tape and a live performance from the period. These artifacts defined No Trend’s sound and image in 1983 and 1984, and are largely how the band is remembered today.

The booklet accompanying the music was painstakingly assembled from a variety of sources, and it includes photos, show flyers, contemporaneous fanzine reviews, and interviews with leader Jeff Mentges and No Trend’s other surviving founder, Bob Strasser. The box also contains the infamous No Trend “dance” books (presumed lost until recently), as well as several other surprises.