Reviews

Ashley Ramsey

SOAKIE Nuke the Frats 12″

Super excited about this seven song LP from half Aussie-/half NY-based SOAKIE. For a band that only started in 2018 and managed to put out their demo within a couple of weeks of their first show, their sound is incredibly established and assertive. I love that they’ve revamped some of the songs from the demo, with cleaner guitar tones and more diverse vocal stylings. The new songs are absolutely killer and continue to criticize heteronormative clichés, shitty dudes and the stinking rich. The COMES spring to mind especially on faster tracks like “Or You Or You” and with the sprawling, melodic guitar and rapidly spat vocals of “Power Tools.” “Boys on Stage” is the obvious stand-out, an anthem that I’m sure all women in punk (and beyond) can relate to. Listening to it makes me want to puke, cry, and break everything in sight all at once. In other words, buy this record.

The Cigarettes You Were So Young 2xLP

Finally, all the material from this lovely post-punk band from Lincoln, England has been compiled into one release. Despite the CIGARETTES only being around for a few years between 1978-81, they explored an impressive range of sounds and influences. There’s the harder, rougher songs like the opener “They’re Back Again Here They Come” and of course the banger “You Were So Young”’ that remind me of ’70s Aussie punk like RAZAR and the VICTIMS. Then there’s the more pop-punk tracks that sound like they could be love songs if it weren’t for the scathing lyrics that wittily poke fun at Capitalist ideals like the nuclear family and the rise of consumerism. A couple of the tracks really don’t need to be there but perhaps there are some fans out there who would appreciate them. Listening to their discography it’s obvious they were a smart band, dedicated to a DIY approach similar to DESPERATE BICYCLES and ART ATTACKS. The release is made up of the band’s two singles, unreleased tracks they had planned for their third single, tracks from a local compilation and the recordings from their John Peel session. Packaged up nicely with a poster, badge and sticker—what a treat!