For all the musical freedom ostensibly offered by subculture, it can also be limiting in its adherence to tradition and genre constraints. Luckily, New Bedford’s indie rock luminaries Wire Lines have no regard for such restrictions. Consisting of four musical veterans who have served time in the likes of Daltonic, The Hidden (Rumble 2005), Bury The Needle, Supermachiner, The Jaded Salingers (Rumble 2002), and many other acts, Wire Lines channel their urgent, hook-laden brand of alt rock through the lens of the hardcore punk on which they cut their teeth. That sensibility shines through not only in the brevity and ferocity of their music, but in their blatant disregard for convention. But for all their disparate sonic reference points, Wire Lines are anything but disjointed. Instead, each new sound complements the last, weaving a remarkably cohesive musical tapestry that is as inventive as it is refreshing. The gracefully aging punk/hardcore musician is a creature so rare it might as well be considered a cryptid, but on their new full length, The Tragic History of the Sea, released in December 2023, Wire Lines provide hard scientific evidence that proves punk is not just a young man’s game. The Tragic History of the Sea is a record whose musical success hinges upon the philosophy reflected in its themes. As vocalist Kevin Grant sings on “Demolition and Salvage”, “nostalgia’s a bitter taste.” And that’s just it. There’s no nostalgia here; no backwards-facing reverence for glory days long past. Instead, The Tragic History of the Sea is a culmination and a celebration, using Wire Lines’ shared musical history to craft a record that is designed to encapsulate this precise moment in time. Despite the vintage of its influences and the decades-long subcultural tenure of the band’s members, The Tragic History of the Sea is an album whose immediacy is palpable and undeniable.