Song of the Day: Texas Is The Reason, “Back and to the Left”

For those of us who grew up in the punk scene in the late ’90s and early 2000s, the music of Texas Is The Reason rings more important than most. Coming out of the hardcore scene of the late ’80s and early ’90s, the band, formed by Shelter guitarist Norm Arenas and 108 drummer Chris Daly, never got their due in the three short years they were originally together. That seems to be a recurring theme with influential bands from that era—no one seemed to care when they were around the first time, but once the reunion tour kicks off everyone has a ticket.

 

 

TITR’s discography, Do You Know Who You Are? The Complete Collection, hits stores Feb. 12 via Revelation Records. It contains all 16 songs the band wrote in their short time together, including two new ones written in 1997 but recorded last year with producer J. Robbins. I’ve had a copy of the remastered collection for a couple of weeks now, and it’s a wonderfully fitting sendoff to a band that are finally getting their due nearly 20 years after the fact; they all sound great, but “Back and to the Left” still hits me the hardest.

To promote the release, they’re playing a handful of shows including one at Union Transfer here in Philly on Feb. 16. Don’t miss it.

—Bryne Yancey