Punk Authority [EP]
by Pete Swanson
  • Record Label: Software
  • Release Date: Mar 12, 2013
Metascore
79

Generally favorable reviews - based on 10 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 10 out of 10
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 10
  3. Negative: 0 out of 10
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  1. Beats Per Minute
    Mar 12, 2013
    81
    Punk Authority sounds too accomplished to be the product of mere caprice.
  2. No Ripcord
    Mar 29, 2013
    80
    There’s something hauntingly beautiful about the way these tracks morph and evolve over their fairly short lifespan.
  3. Consequence
    Mar 15, 2013
    80
    At times, it feels as if you could pull an equally strong straight-techno EP out of the distorted muck that Swanson pours over Punk Authority; that itch to figure out what’s inside the ooze is the strength of the set.
  5. Fact Magazine (UK)
    Mar 15, 2013
    80
    Punk Authority confirms Swanson as no longer just a man with potential, but an institution in his own right.
  6. Resident Advisor
    Mar 12, 2013
    80
    It's not long before Punk Authority ceases to feel abrasive and is instead perceived as soothing, continuous streams of sound.
  7. AllMusic
    Mar 12, 2013
    80
    The four-song EP Punk Authority, Swanson's third release in the technoise vein, is some of his most punishing and relentless material to date.
  8. Pitchfork
    Mar 12, 2013
    75
    He doesn’t appear interested in total formlessness, instead reaching a place that gets as close as he can to all-out loss of control then just about pulling back. Getting there is a thrilling white-knuckle ride, like peering over the ledge for 30 minutes but never jumping off.
  9. The Wire
    Apr 5, 2013
    70
    Clubbers might find Swanson's approach dilettantish.... In letting this set closer sprawl out, though, he happens on a spinning wormhole of spitting snares and abrasive Konono No 1-like melodies that's sulphuric in its intensity. [Mar 2013, p.60]
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  10. Tiny Mix Tapes
    Mar 27, 2013
    70
    On Punk Authority, Pete Swanson distills punk as a generic signifer and punk as an ideation even further.
  11. Drowned In Sound
    Mar 12, 2013
    70
    He’s definitely establishing his own niche with Punk Authority.

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User Score
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User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 2
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 2
  3. Negative: 0 out of 2
  1. TheDRauch
    Feb 26, 2014
    7
    Punk Authority doesn't really represent progression for Pete, stylistically speaking. From the four tracks on this EP, we still find hisPunk Authority doesn't really represent progression for Pete, stylistically speaking. From the four tracks on this EP, we still find his trademark static drenched drones that can be simultaneously soothing and destructive. For this release, Pete opts for the latter and forges from the hellfire of the most aggressive drone-music an electronic record of inescapable volume. It is by no means accessible, but Punk Authority finds Swanson utilizing a much less abstract approach than the one he took on Man with Potential. Tracks like "Grounds for Arrest" and "Life Ends at 30" (The mammoth centerpiece of an already enormous work) feel both organic and focused, like the best dance tracks should. All-in-all, Punk Authority works on the blueprint that Pete has mapped out before, but uses it in a much more forward-thinking way.… Full Review »
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