Suburban Resistance

Reviews

Suburban Resistance Time Flies: The Best of Suburban Resistance Vol. 1 LP

Self-proclaimed “melodic punk rock”—this must be what we’re calling pop punk these days? Reminds me of George Carlin’s bit about using different, gentler words to describe situations that make us uncomfortable. Anyways, the first half of this slab is the aforementioned straight-up pop punk akin to bands like BOWLING FOR SOUP and GOB. The second half has this derivative MISFITS/AFI quality. It does a great disservice pairing these tracks with the bubblegum punk from the earlier history of the band, because the sudden jump in subject matter and tone comes off as a tad hokey. I will give the singer their due, though. Assuming this album is in chronological order, you can hear their progression and growth as a vocalist. They’re really killing it on the last couple of tracks.

Suburban Resistance SRIII: Songs of the Dead LP

Melodic punk out of Las Vegas with strong vibes of NOFX, ALL, and BAD RELIGION. Some tracks veer more toward pop punk, while others more toward hard rock. Still, there are some with more of an edge, such as “Resist.” With anthemic lyrics like “Reject false divisions, they’re used to restrict you / Refuse to tolerate processed hate / Remember while you still exist / You can’t be brought down as long as you resist,” SUBURBAN RESISTANCE could be just straight-ahead punk, but this LP shows their range of interests, influences, and ambitions. There’s something for everyone here.

Suburban Resistance Suburban Resistance LP

Snotty, melodic SoCal punk all wrapped up nice and ready for the big stage. Songs about partying (and the dark side of partying) and fierce determination in the face of just trying to fucking get by, from a Vegas outfit (that’s Las Vegas, which is not in Southern California) featuring members from ’80s skate punks the FACTION and ’00s Upstate NY DIY rippers WAR SQUAD. The backing “whoa-ohhh”s aren’t really for me (there are a lot of them), and the lyrics to “Fools” (maybe about getting along in the face of getting called out…?) give me slight pause, but these fellows know exactly what they’re aiming for, and if gruff, catchy adult punk is what you’re after, then you’ve surely found it on the debut from SUBURBAN RESISTANCE.