The anthemic “Banner of Hope,” with its fast guitar work and melodic background choruses, recalls a more rock ’n’ rolly “classical” punk style, while the flip tends toward a slower, rockabilly-tinged flavor. Neither track really ranks with steamrollers like “Burn em Down,” but the material on this single is pleasant enough, I guess.
If this release is representative, the ABRASIVE WHEELS are already in decline. The A-side is a pathetic punky cover version of ELVIS’s old hit; the flip is a pedestrian Britpunk song with a decent chorus. Whatever happened to kickers like “Burn It Down”?
This band has a style that works well enough in a 7″ format, but is too unimaginative to sustain an entire album’s worth of material. There’s nothing really wrong with the ABRASIVE WHEELS. They have a fast, powerful, well produced sound and some good songs—it’s just that their music doesn’t normally reach out and grab you. Here, the possible exceptions are “Danger, Danger,” “Voice of Youth,” and a couple of the cuts from previous 45s.
More urgent and exciting than their debut 7″, this single boasts two vibrant street anthems which update the ’77-punk style into the ’80s. A powerful guitar mix combined with a slashing vocal attack merge especially well on “Urban Rebel,” even though the flip is almost as good. ABRASIVE WHEELS have become a definite contender.
Pretty uneventful outing. The A-side sounds like a ’78 US punk band imitating a ’77 UK band; the B-side is more modern-paced, but unimaginative.
