Internal Autonomy – “Only You Have The Power” 2x7” – Profane Existence

Internal Autonomy – “Only You Have The Power” 2x7” – Profane Existence
Price: $1.75
A blog about bargain bin punk could very easily just be titled “Profane Existence Back Catalogue”. Unfortunately, a blog about bargain bin punk cuts that are actually good, will contain considerably fewer records from this long-running crust-olicious office. Lucky for us, they did manage to capture quite a few ripping songs throughout the last 20+ years of their label (“Police Bastard” receives lifetime pass into punk).
This Internal Autonomy double seven-inch is a funny one to describe. The guitars are downright corny with everything that was wrong with 90’s punk sound: chorus, crunchy, compressed. The drums are boring to the point of almost being drum machine-esque, without being hollow enough to sound industrial. The vocals are cheesy and clearly the lyrics could not buy anymore into Steve Ignorant “us vs. them” camp of anarcho-punk. And what should seemingly be the last straw: this record contains saxophones…on every single song. Somehow though, this e.p. actually rules.
Maybe it’s because of all the punks jocking nu-goth, but hearing a band from 1993 nailing the sound makes it cool. The lyrics might be overly dramatic, but I’m way more into that than all of these Christian Death In June tribute lyrics popping up today. “There is rich and there is poor, Karl Marx didn’t like what he saw…” might not be blowing minds but there is something about a band comparing Marx to Hitler that I just can’t turn away from. In true British fashion, this record is as much a peace-punk-pamphlet as it is a record. I can only imagine how complicated and insane this must have seemed to the newly founded Profane Existence in 1993 when they saw what the finished product should look like.


Complicated fold over inserts and 2-tone prints.

Profane Existence logo on a British peace-punk double 7".  the 90's

Did I mention there are FUCKING SAXOPHONES on this record? If you dig peace punk, but aren’t picky about what punk has to sound like (“Crassmas” anyone?), then this might be the perfect record for you.
-RD