CanadianWasteland Archives: Policy Of 3

Policy Of 3 was an emocore/post-hardcore band from New Jersey that existed from 1992-1995, prior to which they went under the name Matter Of Fact from 1989-1992. One member was also in the band Four Hundred Years. Policy of 3 was one of the pioneers of their genre who popularized it for the years to come. Blending the punk energy with radical politics and more complex and varied tempos and instrumentals which became characteristic of "emo".

The band released to 7"s, a 12" and posthumously, a 2xCD on Ebullition which contained all of their recorded tracks. Policy Of 3 was also featured on quite a number of compilations along with some of the best bands of their time including Julia, Born Against, Rorschach, Maximilian Colby and more.

Policy of 3 has been compared to the sound of other pioneering bands such as Moss Icon, Still Life or Hoover but I think they had a distinct sound that set them apart. With the rapid energy and tension of punk and the more introspective feel characteristic of "emo", they created music that put both their political views and strong passion for making music that mattered on display. A sense of anticipation is felt during their songs as they build from slow and sprawling guitar into crescendos of noise and screams. Their music is mature and refined in a way that not a lot of punk bands can pull off while maintaining that distinct punk energy. It's evident these guys really cared about what they were doing and wanted to make a difference in their music scene which they succeeded in.

Interestingly, their name came from Chinese history; from Discogs: "According to liner notes for the band's posthumous Anthology CD, the term "Policy of 3" refers to the ideas of a group of three farmers from China during the late 1930s who, through various nonviolent means, espoused increased power for peasants and independence from the wealthy landowning class."