In this episode, we explore Too Many Humans and Teen Love, the 1983 release from No Trend that challenged both punk and mainstream sensibilities in DC’s underground scene. No Trend was from from Ashton, Maryland consisting of Jeff Mentges (vocals), Frank Price (guitar), Bob Strasser (bass), and Michael Salkind (drums). They took a confrontational approach to music, combining minimal, abrasive instrumentation with lyrics that satirized social norms and punk culture alike.

Our guest is Chris Richards, pop music critic for The Washington Post and founding member of Q and Not U. Chris shares his perspective on No Trend’s impact and the broader context of the DC scene in the early 1980s. Together, we discuss how No Trend’s approach to music and performance reflected a unique moment in DC’s hardcore history, bridging experimental sounds and an anti-conformist ethos.

We also examine the band’s recording process at Inner Ear Studios, their relationship to the wider DC scene, and the legacy of Too Many Humans and Teen Love as defining works in the city’s underground music history.

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Go Further:

AllMusic – No Trend

Touch and Go Records – No Trend

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Podcast Artwork by Rebecca Basnight