Record of the Week: NEIGHBORHOOD BRATS Recovery LP
I’ve been lucky enough to see the NEIGHBORHOOD BRATS a handful of times as well as play a show with them, which is fortunate because as of this writing they announced that they are no longer. R.I.P. NEIGHBORHOOD BRATS. Recovery is a great album to close on — solid fucking punk. The first three tracks “Year of the Brat,” “Boys for 20 Years” and “Complete Mess” are by far the stand-outs, and those songs alone are worth buying this LP for. Other highlights include “Painted and Gutted,” which has a catchy as fuck retro ’80s punk brainworm melody, and the closer, “The Pharmacy Is Closer Than the Liquor Store,” a definite ripper. “Escape the City” is a menacing surf instrumental that serves as almost an intermission, a deep breath before getting back to business. Jenny Angelillo’s vocals are controlled throughout — she only really screams it out in “50 Shades of Fuck You.” The grip of her voice around each melody shows she’s in control. The engine which propels each song is George Rager’s guitar work, an incredibly catchy, fast and furious surf guitar with riff after sweet riff, never out of step, completely calculated, but never obvious in the least. Shit. Is. Tight. Their sound can be best summed up as a mix of NIGHT BIRDS, ADOLESCENTS, and WIPERS, with a cleaner and more modern take on ’80s punk. Damn shame it’s their last release. Highly recommended.
(Deranged)
— Camylle Reynolds
