At this point you're probably scratching your head and saying "Who is Switch Style and why is Chip posting this"? I read about this band in a zine in 95 or 96 (possibly Hardware) and they were described as "if Strife were from Japan". I loved (love) Strife so I was pumped but never followed up on ordering the record. Fast forward to 2006 and our dear friend EMS (Brother's Keeper, Surprise Attack Records) posts their 7 inch on his blog, Coregasm. I was finally able to hear it and it had been worth the wait. 4 songs of total Strife/Judge influenced hardcore with a touch of "Lookinglass..." era Snapcase. Now on my second trip to Tokyo this past April, Im browsing the Used bins at Disk Union (so much amazing music, you have to see it to believe it) with my friend Koba and I come across the CD version of the 7 inch. He tells me its quite rare, not too many copies were pressed and that I should pick it up (like I needed him to tell me that). So after 14 years, I was finally the proud owner of a copy of the Switch Style EP.
Some time later, the band released an EP and "switched their style" (see what I did there?) going for more of a radio friendly sound yet still aggressive. By the time they released their full length, they were a 3 piece and playing Jimmy Eat World influenced rock. I have both of those records and I need to go back and give them a listen again. Im curious to see if this band released anything else when they were in their Strife worship phase. A demo perhaps? If anyone has any info on the band or about any other releases, please get in touch.
EMS also has this available on Coregasm so if prefer the sound of vinyl ripped to MP3, check out his post with some additional information.
Switch Style - Self Titled EP
http://www.mediafire.com/?9t4i9k9rz9om2ff