An Slua / Reckless Upstarts / Red Bricks / The Uncouth Intercontinental Oi! split LP
Intercontinental Oi! is a comp featuring four different Oi! bands from four different countries putting forth three tracks each. The first and last bands here, RED BRICKS (Germany) and RECKLESS UPSTARTS (Canada), both sound proficient and solid with a skate punk sound that wouldn’t sound out of place on a Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater soundtrack. They both sound poppy, bouncy, and anthemic, if not slightly forgettable. The UNCOUTH (USA) have more of a ’90s street punk sound, with a sort of sing-song, gruff vocal style that’s also just OK. Finally, there’s AN SLUA (Ireland), my favorite of the bunch. They remind me a little of early CHUBBY & THE GANG and add some cool phaser effects to their guitars here and there. All that said, none of this is really for me, to be honest. It’s all very polished and reminds me of stuff you’d hear played at an early 2000s Warped Tour stop. I’m no hater, but with bands like MESS, BÉTON ARMÉ, and the CHISEL giving the modern sound of Oi! a facelift with a rougher edge, it leaves this corner of the genre sounding a little limp.