Amy Farina & Fugazi's Ian MacKaye & Joe Lally Re-emerge with "Clean Kill" from CORIKY's Self-titled Debut (Dischord Records)

Ian, Joe & Amy (CORIKY) 2019 Fort Reno, Washington, DC / CREDIT: Claire Packer

Not only has Alec MacKaye returned with his first active band in 20+ years, HAMMERED HULLS, his brother, Ian MacKaye, has now re-surfaced with a newly-minted group of his own: CORIKY [pronounced: "ko-ri-kee."] Supposedly, coriky is "a dice game, like liar's poker," according to photographer Mark R. Bacon. A recent Dischord Records press release simply explains, "Coriky is a band from Washington, DC. Amy Farina plays drums. Joe Lally plays bass. Ian MacKaye plays guitar. All sing. Formed in 2015, Coriky did not play their first show until 2018. They have recorded one album. They hope to tour." In their earliest aughts, CORIKY, then-unnamed, were often billed as "Amy Ian Joe (Name Unknown,)" "Ian, Amy & Joe," and, I've heard, at one point, were even toying with going by The Odds; an homage to husband and wife, Ian MacKaye & Amy Farina's other band, The Evens. Together, Amy, Ian & Joe have collectively spent time playing with Ataxia, The Black Sea, Decahedron, Egg Hunt, Embrace, The Evens, Fugazi, The Messthetics, Minor Threat, Pailhead, Sevens, The Slinkees, Skewbald / Grand Union, The Teen Idles, and The Warmers. Anyways, I've been hearing rumblings about CORIKY for quite a few months now... and just yesterday, Amy Farina, Joe Lally & Ian MacKaye triumphantly returned with their debut single as CORIKY, "Clean Kill."


Along with said single, CORIKY have announced their signing to Ian MacKaye & Jeff Nelson's iconic imprint, Dischord Records, as well as the announcement of their self-titled debut album. I believe, it was promised CORIKY would sound something like "Fugazi meets The Evens," which makes complete sense, and "Clean Kill" does, in fact, sound like a fusion of both legendary DC area bands. As stated above, "Clean Kill" features Ian MacKaye on guitar, Joe Lally on bass, and Amy Farina on drums with all three providing vocals at various points throughout. It's a phenomenal "coming out" track and, hopefully, will represent what's to come from CORIKY's self-titled debut full-length. Although, likely, most promising, to us, at least, are the instrumental breakdowns and about the last 40-seconds to minute of "Clean Kill," as here, CORIKY show a bit more of their decades-old Punk/Hardcore roots. CORIKY, supposedly worked on said material with Ian MacKaye & Joe Lally's long-time collaborator, producer, and engineer Don Zientara's Inner Ear Studios. Either way, we can almost promise, it's definitely gonna be something to experience for fans both old and new. CORIKY's self-titled debut full-length will be released Friday, March 27, 2020 on Dischord Records.


c o r i k y Lyrics Sheet / CREDIT: 7 Inch Gold Blade (@7_and_7_is)