No point pretending to be neutral here – Shaved For Battle from New York are easily one of my favorite bands of recent years. Their album Still Hated & Proud first dropped in 2024 in the US via Oi!tism Records and Liberty Or Death Records. A year later it got a proper European release from Try And Stop Me Records, available on blue or classic black vinyl, with a different cover than the American edition. The Euro version features a stripped-down, hand-drawn design that clearly nods to classic Last Resort artwork. Musically, Shaved For Battle play raw, no-frills bootboy Oi! – closer to the ’84 school than to the American Oi! that’s often soaked in hardcore. Sonically, this is straight-up brickwall. They’re not part of the new wave of US Oi! acts like Castillo or Slugger. Also don’t expect any deep introspection, nor any post-punk detours – this is pure, proud, and rough Oi! through and