Honor Press, a brand new label created and directed by Meredith Graves of Perfect Pussy. The label has announced their first release, SO STRESSED’s, The Unlawful Trade of Greco-Roman Art.

So Stressed is a Sacramento-based post-hardcore three piece comprised of Morgan Fox, Andrew Garcia and Kenneth Draper. Their mutual insistence on perfection meant it took more than two years to complete Unlawful Trade’s fully formed songs would be thrown out completely if one member was unhappy with the final result. So Stressed will be embarking on a US tour this Spring.

So Stressed initially began in Sacramento, CA as a largely improvisational noise project that included the band’s three members (Morgan Fox, Andrew Garcia and Kenneth Draper). Over time, the lineup was refined and their sound coalesced into what’s heard on Unlawful Trade, an anxiety ridden and sometimes terrifying cry which calls to mind everything from Q and Not U to No Trend and the Minutemen. At times, Fox’s lyrics bring to mind the emotional distress and social reservation seen in Wire and Wall of Voodoo.

The fact that their sound is so violent and tense as to be physically disarming is almost deceptive; the members of So Stressed are kind, conscientious and smart young men. Writing this album took more than two years (and recording took more than six months) due to a common habit of throwing away fully-formed songs deemed to be even slightly less than perfect. All this was done with no goal in mind— if no one wanted to release it, Fox says, “we were just going to delete it.”

Cupcake Sister
Apple Hill
Merv King & The Phantoms
White Juice
Nervous Around Punks
Lisps
Cinnamon Death
Flirting With A Cop
Sleep Wave
Covered In Hair
Burger Brother
Needs No Chill