I suppose it would’ve been unfair to expect this LP to strike me as their debut did (my fave LP of last year), but perhaps with many playings it will come close. There’s still that great, distinctive voice, super-tight and fast melodic thrash delivery, clean production (perhaps a bit too clean here), classy hooks, and that rare sing-along quality, so… Catch ’em on tour and sing your heart out (great lyrics, too).
The fact that I viciously slagged the ASEXUALS for their lyrics to “Contra Rebels” in a recent review helps to disguise that I’ve always really liked their music, both on the EP and in the offending song. And now that I’ve learned that I’ve unjustifiably criticized them for said lyrics, which were apparently meant satirically, I have no qualms about admitting that this is an impressive album combining ’77 punk structures, fast tempos, and strong choruses. I apologize for the mistaken interpretation, but the lesson to be learned from it is that poorly composed satire can easily be misconstrued as dead seriousness.
While solid all around, the ASEXUALS don’t write songs with overwhelming catchiness, either. “Wake Up” is a pleasant pop-punk amalgam with tasty guitar riffing, but the other three songs go at it with fairly quick tempos and a bit too much echo on the vocals. Decent, yet unspectacular.
