Thoughtful and brooding indie punk that is a bit like an updated and pared-down take on grunge. Introspective lyrics explore feelings of depression, alienation, and grief while the repetition and minimalism of the riffs kind of drill those feelings into your head. There’s a true thread of deep heartbreak and pain, which is likely to resonate with some, but without some kind of redemption, I find it hard to vibe with the untempered sadness.
I like the challenge of describing a record or a band or a sound that I like, but can’t quite put in a nice, clean box. This is one of those records. The band comes from Ohio, a state that seems to produce more than its share of crazy people. I’m not implying that these guys are crazy, but I’m not saying they’re not. The record doesn’t always “hit” for me, but when it does, it’s got a rhythmic, almost trance-inducing quality to it. It’s catchy and melodic and very much grounded in indie pop. I found my head bouncing with some regularity. When it doesn’t hit, it slows down and, at times, borders on self-indulgence. Honestly, I can’t remember the last time I heard a record that was so black-or-white for me. With each song, I can almost tell in the first five or ten seconds if it’s going to be a hit or a miss. That’s kind of funny to me.
This 12″ features one side with five generic, gruff-vocalled pop-punk songs and a second side with a nice-looking screen print. The B-side might be the better one. This sounds like when a band tries to copy a band that tried to copy JAWBREAKER. So sure, easy way to go is to say it sounds like SMALL BROWN BIKE. It’s melodic, it’s kind of bouncy, but it lacks the solid hooks that this kind of music demands.
The only complaint fans are going to have about this record is that it’s too short. For those not already familiar, DYKE DRAMA is the solo project of G.L.O.S.S.’s Sadie Switchblade. The record is dedicated to Barker Gee, a friend who passed away, and pays tribute to him by incorporating riffs and melodies from the incredible music he created. The tracks encompass the tenderness of 50 MILLION, the SPRINGSTEEN-esque sensibilities of BENT OUTTA SHAPE, the infectious melodies of the REPLACEMENTS, and gritty vocals overflowing with emotional sincerity and heartbreak. Barker would have loved this, and if you have any connection to him or to the melodic side of punk, you will too. These songs distill the sweetness of what punk can give us in hard times, whether you’re in the middle of the struggle or just looking back and remembering what got you through.
There are only seven songs here and that’s a shame, because this is pretty great. Gruff and scratchy male/female vocals that really compliment each other when sung at the same time, over some decent, almost J CHURCH-sounding stuff. Apparently this has members of CANADIAN RIFLE and THIS IS MY FIST, which would make sense as to why it sounds familiar while not sounding like a rehash. Let’s get some more of this stuff, stat!
Bubblegum pop punk, as if it were blaring from the open window of a car that’s clearly having more fun than you. A decade going, this is JOYRIDE!’s fourth LP, jam-packed with syrupy and finely-tuned female vocals, aided by fast instrumentation; guitar riffs and tom-drum bridges in all the right places. But here’s the deal: it’s 2022 and pop punk isn’t all sheen and passive content—it’s fun and provocative all at once, and that’s why I like it. “In the Afterglow” gets in your head with “We get attached to what we think we know,” while “Flyover States” brings environmental disasters to light, and then “Routine Maintenance” spells out “k-i-s-s-i-n-g” in the chorus, like you’d expect from the genre. Just listen and try to have fun while not being ignorant—and if you figure out how to do that, let me know.
It’s hard to miss the vocals and guitars at the heart of this record. They’re the driving force of the songs, and are almost always harmonizing. That said, the rhythm section is no slouch. The former are strengthened because the latter is dishing out some very tight, stop-on-a-dime beats. They’re a solid foundation beneath this smooth, sad pop punk lament. Did I mention it’s smooth? Polished? Sparkling? It’s like the sonic equivalent of a newly inked tattoo, or a threadbare but freshly washed black T-shirt.
This starts out with something that pretty much just sounds like a later GRANDADDY song, just not as catchy or witty. The record moves on from that to sound a little more pop punk / indie rock, sort of like WEAKERTHANS with a hint of BUILT TO SPILL. It’s mid-tempo to mellow, with fairly clean guitars and slightly nasal, sung vocals. It’s not mind blowing, but it’s reasonably catchy.
Very ’90s-sounding indie rock. I loved this genre back then. I’m thinking SUPERCHUNK, ARCHERS OF LOAF, and even a little SAMIAM. New Kinda Love is this New Hampshire trio’s third LP. First time I’ve heard them. Dead Broke has become a pretty reliable label for us melodic guitar punk types. Great full-length.
PARTIAL TRACES are a Minneapolis supergroup of sorts; members of the SOVIETTES, BANNER PILOT, OFF WITH THEIR HEADS, etc., who mostly previously played together in the band GATEWAY DISTRICT. The punk pedigree suggested by such a lineage is certainly present on Low Definition, but you have to listen for it. It’s mostly found in the tight arrangements and lack of extraneous fluff: musically, the album skews predominantly towards the indie rock end of the musical spectrum. Chiming, melodic guitars and washes of synth provide the stirring backdrop to songs rife with the melancholy of a life lived. Maybe it’s the Twin Cities connection, but I’m drawn to compare this band to the REPLACEMENTS. I’d bet money that this is probably the most mature-sounding record reviewed on Maximumrocknroll.com this month; make of that what you will.
The Jilted Lover 7″ was the perfect teaser to this full-length presentation of mature angst. The assumption of JAWBREAKER love and comparison to the GASLIGHT ANTHEM are still deserved throughout this expansion to ten songs. The working class, music veteran vibe with members from all over who have lived all over is on full display here. The intro to the album on “Sinking Ship” is strong, loud, and desperate. It’s the aura of cheap beer soaked into rotting floorboards at the local dive that then continues throughout the whole album. The line, “I’ve become a Midwest lyric / Even though six months I moved away,” from “Aching” is a particularly throat straining and somber scream. While the vocalist has guts that he is ready to show you by throwing them up right onto the floor, the drums and guitars are very proud to stand right beside him, soaked in Scotch and equally in need of a good time after considering the weight of the world outside of the venue. This trio is a force to be reckoned with and is sure to someday make its way across the country and rattle the foundations of every saloon, local, and pub they come across.
There’s a place between LEATHERFACE and AMERICAN STEEL (post-the Rouge’s March album) where this band lies. The great, angularly harsh guitar work is reminiscent of 1997 HOT WATER MUSIC before their infamous Hard Rock Cafe breakup, and the lyrics haunt with the emotional despair and angst of WEDDING PRESENT’s David Gedge. This is their sophomore release on the infallible Salinas Records and fits in with the more raw and rock part of their discography. I didn’t know what a “quaker wedding” was when I was assigned this review. But the week after, I caught one of JAWBREKER’s shows for the 25th anniversary of Dear You and then watched the documentary Don’t Break Down about the history of the band. At the end of the film Blake Schwarzenbach makes a comment that during the meeting when the band broke up, it felt like a quaker wedding where “you just sit there but there’s a lot of weight in the room.” Here the weight is authentically well-defined and felt.
This LP is a collection of songs recorded between 2016 and 2018. VACATION is from Cincinnati, and reminds me of a lot of the ’80s Ohio indie rock bands. The music is lo-fi and fuzzy. The vocals are distinctive and quirky, employing interesting phrasings. The songs are catchy, but not quite singable. Not that I won’t try. I also enjoy that if you go back to VACATION’s earliest recordings, they maintained a similar sound and style. It’s pretty cool.
VACATION gives me big GUIDED BY VOICES vibes. It’s lo-fi, introspective garage-y pop with dreams of rocking the stadium. The songs are catchy and driving. The vocals have that flat, spoken style that are earnestly trying to get your attention. Then they suddenly fly off into the atmosphere. It’s an interesting combination of sounds that work well together.
