Articles Of Faith 'Give Thanks' FTRSMO55B
Pre-order: Ships after July 10th 2026.
Bridge Nine is excited to partner with Futurismo to bring Articles Of Faith’s classic 1984 LP Give Thanks back into print. This exclusive variant is only available in North America through Bridge Nine Records. Customers outside North America can order directly from Futurismo.
Produced by Bob Mould, and newly remastered directly from the original tapes, this powerhouse of a record is now coming on both LP and CD through Futurismo after being unavailable for decades.
Originally released in 1984, the debut LP Give Thanks by Chicago hardcore legends Articles Of Faith, is proof a hardcore record can be both political and poetic. Fuelled by rage, introspection and a musical progression that could be seen as a blueprint for what would later become known as post-hardcore, this album ticks every box you want from a record of the era: intense, emotive, scathing, unpredictable, all topped off by the masterful production of Bob Mould (Hüsker Dü/Sugar).
Give Thanks is perhaps overlooked in many top ten’s of the genre, but leaving the bands debut LP off that list would be a mistake. A demonstration in raw emotion and political angst, Give Thanks harnesses a sound that could have only happened during the Reagan era. Hardcore was of course a musical explosion built upon aggression and discontentment, yet Give Thanks forcefully fuses this concept of raw power with a multitude of musical influences at a time when some of their contemporaries perhaps seemed content to tread water. Whilst the principles and sonics harnessed on AOF’s debut album may have had more in common with the sounds coming out of Washington D.C., this record has an authentic Chicago savvy running through it, effortlessly projecting a street level tone whilst simultaneously aiming to show the possibilities of what a hardcore record could be.
In retrospect, AOF’s debut was a hardcore album ahead of its time, perhaps the reason its fervent themes and artistry still feel so fresh and relevant. Whether that’s due to Vic Bondi’s gravelly tones geared to critique the societal regime at play, or the considered guitar work aimed to both blast and texturize, or the intense drum rhythms inspired by jazz and dub, there is a depth to the final album that feels like a band testing their parameters, one listen to ‘Every Man For Himself’ and you know you are listening to something special. Familiarity and originality rarely crossover, but in this case they coexist to leave us with a forward thinking punk record that is more interested in shouting it’s emotions from the street, than it is screaming into a vacuum. A true American hardcore record, and a must for fans of Minor Threat, Dead Kennedy’s, Bad Brains and Fugazi.
This imported exclusive variant comes in a limited edition ‘American Dreams’ colored vinyl, and has been remastered from the original tapes. It is packaged in a gloss laminated sleeve, containing a printed inner sleeve, a large fold-out poster and redux artwork featuring photos by Gail Butensky and liner notes by David Ensminger.
