New Jersey punkers Automatic 7 had the vocalic growl similar to SoCal punk revivalists, yet honed their own brash rock sound. Formed during the mid-'90s in New Brunswick, vocalist John Hulett, bassist Nic Nifoussi, and guitarist Phil Jaurigui, molded jaunty punk-pop inside the hardcore face spewing off about the downward spirals of drugs and deception. A self-titled debut was issued in 1996; the follow up, 2001's Beggar's Life, marked the band's first for Vagrant Records. ~ MacKenzie Wilson