Hardcore music is shit hot right now and more than ever, a lot of decidedly non-hardcore music has snuck past the pit and onto show flyers. Who let all this adjacent b******t through the gates and is any of it even good? To help answer these dire questions, I enlisted writer and supreme music nerd, Jay Papandreas (Listen Up, Nerds) to help with the task of picking out some of the most notable, bizarre, and interesting releases of hardcore-adjacent belligerence. We explore thirteen albums from the Ray & Porcell 7’’ and Die Kreuzen to Rival Schools and Self Defense Family. See ya at Adjacent Fest 2024.  Subscribe to the excellent Listen Up, Nerds column on Substack Read Jay’s Stereogum piece, “Sunbather Turns 10” Read “Self Defense Family: A Discography Partially Ranked” In the music world? Hire/Collab with Jay Papandreas Subscribe & never miss a new rabbit hole. Follow @thesoniccloth on Instagram to grab the tracklist Feedback, trash talk, and inquiries: [email protected]