THE FREEZE is a seminal punk rock band from Cape Cod, Massachusetts, that came together in 1978 as teenagers and continues to record and tour to this day. Founder, lyricist and vocalist Clif “Hanger” Croce is the only member who has been in every incarnation of the band, which has seen many line-up shifts and changes over the years. Guitarist and songwriter Bill Close (who also designed the band’s logo) joined the band at age 15 in 1983, playing lead and writing most of the music until 1998 when he left the band. Since then he has appeared with The Freeze in occasional live performances. As of 2017, Bill Close and Clif Croce were writing and recording again together for a new Freeze/Gang Green split LP.
The band’s first record, the do-it-yourself 7-inch “I Hate Tourists / Don’t forget me Tommy,” was released in 1980. Attempts were made to ban the record locally as obscene but that, in combination with the buzz over their live performances, only succeeded in raising awareness of the band. The following year, The Freeze had nine songs appear on the important New England punk rock compilation “This Is Boston, Not L.A.” titled after their song of the same name. Since then the band has released over a dozen full length albums including “Land of the Lost”, “Rabid Reaction”, “Misery Loves Company” and arguably their greatest album, “Freak Show” released in the early 1990s. The album cover art for 1998’s “One False Move” was drawn by the late American artist, writer, and Cape Cod resident Edward Gorey.