Around Montreal, I’ve seen so many merch T-shirts and stickers asking “Do You Puff?” (honestly, a great marketing scheme), but save for a few live videos, I’ve never really given the origin of the inquiry a proper due. The question comes from Puffer, a volatile, hard punk rock five-piece from what could sometimes be described as the frozen hell hole of Montreal.
With guitar riffs that recall some old punk ala The Exploited or even Pantera’s heavy metal “Cowboys From Hell,” Puffer’s debut album, Street Hassle, is a blood-thirsty and rewarding listen. Right from the jump-off point of “Jimmy,” we are in the frantic buzzing in-the-red world of Puffer. The hard rock growling vocals make you feel invincible, like you could smash through a building at any moment, or dive headfirst into an unruly mosh pit in a skate park.
“Cement Shoes,” is probably my favourite, with its catchy minor guitar call and answer, but every song has a carnal punk rock intensity to it. I can see the sweat and spit being shot out into a crowd during “One Big Step,” or the pummelled drum set after “Blood On The Streets,” which has one of the more insane bass riffs I’ve heard in punk music in a long time and has the only real reprieve from the madness with the mix cutting out to static at the end. After experiencing Street Hassle, it’s safe to say that, yeah, I do puff.
