Slick-sounding, upbeat, almost poppy street punk, with songs sung in both English and Swedish. I would throw this in a “street punk starter pack” for anyone who was interested in the genre but maybe didn’t know where to start, as a way to ease into it.
Melbourne streetpunk/Oi! types the CLINCH return with an album full of pint-spilling, get-yer-mate-in-a-headlock-at-last-orders anthems which completely took me by surprise. It has all the hallmarks of a classic album of the genre replete with full-throated gang vocal choruses and soaring no-nonsense riffs that touch upon ROSE TATTOO or COLOURED BALLS at their rock’n’rolliest in parts. So far, so streetpunk. However beneath this beer-battered exterior lay some unexpectedly nuanced and thoughtful lyrics, far far beyond the usual fare for your garden variety streetpunk. Stand out track “Basecamp” has a chorus that is so catchy I’ll end up humming it for years to come. Well worth a spin, good on ya lads.
This band has members of the QUEERS, ANTI-HEROS, and AGONIZERS ATL, and that is enough for me to have been slightly intrigued. Add to that the fact that Joe Queer himself recorded this, and I was definitely curious as to what was going on here. Well, what we have is some pretty slick-sounding street punk. I suppose this would be a good starting point for someone not too familiar with this type of stuff, as it’s not too abrasive—kinda like street punk-lite. Much better than I would have expected, for sure.
Succinctly, they’re from Sweden, they fucking rock, and I’m certain they have a higher high-kick than me. I am, in fact, late to the party with this band. Fortunately, they’re still raging. They’re as fast as LEATHERFACE, as sweet as MARTHA, and as high-octane as LONE WOLF. I fucking love it. They’re really similar to ’90s Lookout! bands, but as if they captured that lightning in a bottle and aged it. I certainly can’t go on record about how many of their songs are about failed relationships, drinking, and skateboarding, but I’m really not hearing those subjects on this record. I don’t know what else to say to convert the uninitiated. This has the sound of the immature shit we used to listen to in the ’90s and early ’00s, but, like, for grown-ups. Like if problematic pop punk wasn’t problematic. Yay, I love this. Hats off. Oh, and that song “Elephants” reminds me of the first time I heard the SEX PISTOLS, but goddamned way better.
