7 Seconds was formed on January 17, 1980, by two sets of brothers; the Marvelli brothers, using the punk rock names "Kevin Seconds" and "Steve Youth", and the Borghino brothers, who were known as "Tom Munist" and "Dim Menace".
Asked about the origins of the band's name in a December 1982 interview with Flipside magazine, Kevin Seconds recalled:
"...I was ordering The Dils single '198 Seconds of The Dils' from Bomp and I wrote it on a desk and the ink it said 97 Seconds; and then we saw this movie Day of the Jackals or something and all through it there were references to 7 Seconds, and the Dils were like our idols... So we were looking for a name and we were looking at this racing book and it said 7 seconds and we said, 'fuck it, must be an omen,' so we picked it. It's a short, intense name." [3]
Recording history
The band's early releases were several EPs including 1982's Skins, Brains and Guts, most of which were later re-released on the alt.music.hardcore and Old School compilation CDs. [1] All three demos were released on a bootleg release named 7 Seconds – Hardcore Rules, 80-82. They also appeared on the 1985 hardcore compilation Cleanse the Bacteria, in addition to numerous other compilations, such as Not So Quiet On the Western Front (Alt. Tentacles, 1982), Something to Believe In (BYO, 1984), Party or Go Home/We Got Power (Mystic, 1983), and Nuke Your Dink (Positive Force, 1984). They became closely associated with the Straight Edge movement during this time.
Their first full-length album, The Crew, was recorded in 1983–84 and released by BYO Records, as was its successor – 1985's EP Walk Together, Rock Together , which was expanded the next year into a full length album with live tracks on the b-side. [1] [4] With the New Wind album, the band dramatically expanded its sound and style with audible elements of a sometimes quieter, slower, more melodic and accessible sound. Though initially criticized by their fanbase, in time it would receive critical acclaim.
Subsequent LPs moved deeper into mainstream territory with a U2-like sound. The 7 Seconds album continued their musical experimentation. The band broke free in 1995 with The Music, The Message, moving back somewhat into their roots. The Music, The Message was released on Sony (BMI), the first release on a major label throughout the band's history. Earlier material was on various homegrown labels, completely self-produced, or put out on Kevin Seconds own label, Positive Force Records (AKA United Front), before BYO Records housed them. However, the band returned to an old-school hardcore sound in 1999 with the Good to Go album. 2005 came the release of Take It Back, Take It On, Take It Over! on SideOneDummy, completing the evolution back to their Hardcore roots.
Later history
In May 2013 it was announced that 7 Seconds had signed to Rise Records, with plans to record a new 7" and a full-length album that summer in Sacramento. [5]
On March 20, 2018, 7 Seconds announced their breakup via their official Facebook page. [6] [7] [8] In their official statement, they would explain that, "This time around, the reality of being middle-aged, working class, not terribly relevant and not being able to bounce back from injuries and personal problems has become a weight just too great for us to bear and all signs finally point to retirement."
On October 4, 2021, 7 Seconds announced via Facebook [9] a reunion tour in 2022 alongside Circle Jerks (headliner) and Negative Approach (opener). For health reasons, longtime drummer Troy Mowat did not join the band. His replacement for the tour was Sammy Siegler (Youth of Today, Judge). In 2024, the band announced via Facebook [10] that they would perform at the This is Hardcore festival along with Black Flag.
