Erik Nervous & The Beta Blockers - Make Up To Break Up

  Those of you that were on here at the weekend will have seen me bigging up a couple of new albums released on Drunken Sailor Records.  (http://www.drunkensailorrecords.co.uk/categories/drunken-sailor-records)

  There was a third release by that label last week and it's been chosen by Bandcamp as one of the best punk albums from February. A decent choice for a very good album.

  That album is if course the new Self Titled long player by Erik Nervous & The Beta Blockers. Erik (real name Erik Hart) featured on here last year when he was riffing on the Ramones' classic The KKK Took My Baby Away (https://justsomepunksongs.blogspot.com/2019/06/erik-nervous-usps-threw-your-tape-away.html) but this is his first proper release with The Beta Blockers after they tested the waters with a couple of cassettes. The line up is Erik (guitar, synthesizers, tenor saxophone, vocals, bass (3, 6), drums (3, 5) ), Joe "Roldy" Varchola  (bass) and Jeff Mahannah (drums) with Matt Ferrara contributing additional vocals on the song I'm featuring today.

  What can you expect from the lp? A dozen inventive rippers that take inspiration from the kind of angular post punk bands that used to frequent the John Peel show back when mainstream radio used to (grudgingly) acknowledge that decent music existed. Typical verse, chorus, verse structure is often sacrificed in favour of something more playful. Think Pink Flag era Wire battling it out with Ausmuteants round at Mark E Smith's house (actually, don't as that line sounded better in my head than wrote down! Just listen to the album and make your own spurious comparisons).
https://drunkensailorrecords.bandcamp.com/album/st-lp-9

  I think my favourite track is probably No Chorus but let's try and entice the casual punk fan by posting the Siouxsie And The Banshees cover. This is Make Up To Break Up...

Spots warts and blemishes
Deep receding crevices
Seem to disappear
With foundation on my face
Foundation on my face!

Shadow conjures cheekbones
Hides a nasal disgrace
A disfigured atrocity
Jutting out of place
Jutting out of place!

Make up to break up
Make up to break up
Make up to break up
Make up, break up, make up
To break up

Girls with eyes like swimming pools
Are the ones that I despise
'Cause I need lots of colour
To hide my bloodshot eyes
Hide my bloodshot eyes!

Now to paint by number
Over the cavernous pit
Lots of glossy red
To hide my pale cracked lips
Hide my pale cracked lips!

Make up to break up
Make up to break up
Make up to break up
Make up, break up, make up

Now comes the break up
From the make up
Just like the devil's rain
See-see-colours run insane
Colours run insane!

Foundation starts to tremble
My nose a grotesque abstract
My mouth a gaping gap
My eyes are shooting blood
My face is cracking up
My face is cracking up!

Make up to break up