Like any other city, Providence has a bit of grit within its vicinity. There are certain aspects that are rough and tumble along with an underbelly where certain things happen that often get covered in the news or even talked about in a podcast or two. Speaking of podcasts, the new EP from Providence punk act Gnarnia shares a name with a pretty famous one while being titled “The Crimetown.” I’m willing to guess that the EP is inspired by the much talked about second season of the “Crimetown” podcast that had multiple episodes examining what “The Creative Capital” was like during the height of the New England Mafia while Buddy Cianci was mayor. With this being said, the quartet of vocalist Christopher Simonelli, guitarist Scott Bowers, bassist Ashish Vyas and drummer Frank Mullin convey this narrative through amplified riffs, rapid beats and an intense delivery.

The record was officially released back on April 8 via the local record label Psychic Static with all the songs being tracked at Gnarnia’s practice space in Pawtucket. Eric Hanson, who is originally from Fiskeville in Western Cranston, put on the finishing touches by handling the mixing at Dyerville Recording in the Providence neighborhood of Olneyville. The result is a blistering array of audial grime that’s ideal for any fan of ‘70s punk and ‘80s hardcore. Together Bowers, Vyas and Mullin exhibit tightly wound syncopation while Simonelli is right up in the senses with his vocals. It should be mentioned that the EP is a relatively short listen with only one track running over the two-minute mark, so if you’re pressed for time then experiencing this from start to finish shouldn’t be a problem.

Bowers’ riffs have a consistent presence within the opening tune “Here We Go” as the chorus has a quick and emphatic vibe. “Crimetown” exhibits a vintage hardcore structure with Mullin’s drums being the pulsating foundation with everything else feeding off of his skills. “Break Balls” absolutely thrashes with the guitar and drums forming an electrifying dynamic that ups the ante, especially during the chorus. The most unique track is most definitely “Underwater” while including funk and psychedelic elements at the beginning before going back to the raw amplification. Finishing it all off is “Go Home” while blistering in at only a half minute.

To give “The Crimetown” EP a listen, you can simply give it a stream and perhaps even make a purchase by logging onto Gnarnia’s Bandcamp page at gnarniapvd.bandcamp.com. You can also grab it on vinyl via Psychic Static’s website at psychicstatic.net, which also includes the band’s “Thin Ice” EP that came out last year. If you’re looking to check out these guys live, they have a show coming up in the Boiler Room at Wes’ Rib House on 38 Dike Street in Providence on May 4. Old school metal shredders Teazer 2000 and fuzzy prog doom metal duo Coma Hole are going to be performing as well with it all starting at 8pm. Regardless of what you do, just make sure to dive into the record I just wrote about and turn up the volume.