They've just released a Self Titled album on Wanda Records that the label describes as "12 songs with pissed-off UK 77 meets 82 Razorblade flair: Penetration meets Violators (UK) meets Acton Pact!" If you've read this far and thought "hell yeah, that sounds promising" I can tell you that you won't be disappointed. It's like a long lost No Future Records release. It's out on vinyl (black or splatter) and digital download https://wandarecords.bandcamp.com/album/same-9
The songs are catchy enough that they sound instantly familiar, none more so than one you may actually have heard before, an excellent cover of this classic track originally recorded by The Problematics (I Guess I'm Not Cool Enough For You https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UwTz4LiLn_c).
The song I'm highlighting today opens the album and is especially topical in these days of Roe V Wade. It's called My Body
It's been a while since Ade Bailey contributed to Just Some Punk Songs, I guess resurrecting his band The Lost Weekend (https://thelostweekend1.bandcamp.com/) and working on an album for new project Death Of Our Fathers (https://deathofourfathers.bandcamp.com/) must be pretty time consuming but he's paused for breath long enough to bring us a recommendation today...
As we all know, sniffing glue is nothing to laugh about. It is, however, something you can absolutely write a catchy two and a half minute punk song about.
Here are The Liabilities AD (https://www.facebook.com/TheLiabilitiesAD) with just such a track. Based in the deepest heart of the trendy West Country that isn’t Bristol, the Trowbridge 4-piece have released this ahead of a forthcoming EP.
Made up of members previously in acts such as Nobody’s Heroes and Bogus Gasman, they deliver a traditional old school sound but without the cartoon and fake Camden tourist punk image that puts me off so many other bands. ‘Airfix’ is a terrific taster for the EP, wrapped around a spikey, infectious riff from guitarist Sam Butler, it gets straight to the point and into your head instantly.
Singer Andy Owen laments the shortcomings of everyone’s favourite model glue over his preferred weapon of choice, a bag of Evostick. Much frivolity ensues as he name checks Revell and Tamiya in what is almost certainly the first Punk track dedicated to the delights of getting high whilst building a model Spitfire!
By the end, you’ll be joining in the crowd refrain of “Aiiiiirrrfix!” and singing it as you go about your day. I’ve seen the band a few times live and they are well worth checking out. I believe the EP will be available on vinyl too which is always a bonus...
I mentioned that they produced "a powerful eruption of alt rock meets punk rock that's seen them compared with Husker Du." Now that the full album is out, the expectations of it being a great listen have been proven well founded. Vocalist Natalie Foster manages to mix melody and rage to great effect, she's a very fine singer. The rest of the band; Greg Rietwyk (guitars), Frank Lees (drums) and Iain MacRae (bass), offer up the perfect accompaniment. It's available on vinyl (transparent yellow or black), cd and digital download : https://pressclub.bandcamp.com/album/endless-motion
The song I'm highlighting today was probably the most popular song on a show that seemed to go down very well with the folk who listened live (the show will get uploaded to Mixcloud on Sunday if anyone wants to check it out). It's a passionate commentary about how climate change is causing the worst bush fires the country has seen. Australia's getting burned to the ground. As a bonus, you can also watch a recent live performance of the song recorded at The Zoo, Brisbane, on 20th October :
On this week's Just Some Punk Songs show, pretty much all the songs seemed to go down well with the chatroom but maybe a few stood out. I'll get them on here this week. Starting with...
Bad//Dreems (https://www.facebook.com/badbaddreems) have been around since 2012 but I don't recollect coming across them before (which on the evidence of their new single is a great shame). They're from Adelaide and the single is about truth telling, in particular about the lack of truth told in schools about Australia's subjugation of the native Aborigines and the attempt to whitewash history. As the lyrics say, you never get taught about invasion or genocide, you might hear about the Russian Revolution but events closer to home are ignored.
At this point in my write up I'd probably be banging on about how Australia has turned up another great new band but as they've been around for a decade instead I'll suggest that you should follow my example and acquaint yourselves with their back catalogue https://baddreems.bandcamp.com/music
Begin with the new single. It's called Jack...
I’ve got an itch that I cannot scratch Right down in the middle of this ageing back
Three things that we cannot say Invasion, genocide, Australia Day.
We’re the violence we’re the godsend we’re the Virus We’re the wokest, we’re the leftest we’re the silence
Look at the ground, what do I see 60,000 years staring back at me
What you think about that Jack? 31 years and I’m talking back What you think about that Jack 60,000 why don’t we give it back?
At my school, they taught the Russian revolution, The stump jump plough and the Roman constitution
No Bennelong, Namatjira, no William Barak Beds are burning always gotta give it back?
No Truganini, Jandamurra, no Billy Barlow, No referendum, stolen children, no Eddie Mabo
No language, no treaty, no respect for the land No problems, no solution, nowhere left to stand
What you think about that Jack? 31 years and I’m talking back What you think about that Jack? 60,000 years we gotta give it back
I took a walk down to the lighthouse today Looking for a plaque there that should say That 14 were massacred here on this day Women and children cut down where they lay
How deep are your pockets? How deeps your coal mine? Nothing is as deep as the deepest of time.
Menzies ghost on the dock of the bay, sitting in our arm chairs sipping chardonnay
Barriers and bands and frontier walls, Made an effort to silence the voices of old
Indre Krig are a new band to me. They're from Copenhagen and they appear to have surfaced last year with the Demo '21 ep. It was 4 tracks of hard hitting, no nonsense Scandinavian punk, short songs blasted out with great gusto by vocalist Chloë.
They recently returned with a new ep titled Destroyer. It's the same energetic blitzkrieg of wall of sound noise, we're treated to 6 songs of blink and you'll miss it hardcore. I believe their name translates to English as Internal War and there seems plenty of inner conflict on display on the ep, especially on the track I've chosen to highlight below.
Built around insecurity, self-hatred and frustration, this song is the longest on the ep (just topping the 2 minute mark). It's pretty much a cry for help from a ticking time bomb about to explode. It's called Claustrophobia...
Well it's October and thoughts start turning towards the Just Some Punk Songs end of year chart. I'm honestly struggling with it this year as there's been so many great releases to choose from and I'm sure there's more in the pipeline yet (hint, hint, Cyanide Pills you promised us an album this year). I think I might have decided on my Number One track of the year but today's blog update features a song that should certainly be up around the top as well..
Tearjerker (https://www.facebook.com/TearjerkerNE) are a very exciting new band from Sunderland who formed last year and released a debut single a few months ago titled Done And Dusted (I missed it at the time so I'll make amends and play it on this week's show). Now they're back with a follow up and it's even better. The line up of the band is Mick O'Brien (Vocals / Bass), Christopher "Frenchy" French (Lead Guitar / Backing Vocals), Marty "Jacka" Jackson (Rhythm Guitar / Backing Vocals) & Brent Copeland (Drums / Backing Vocals). Joining them on this single are Mick Jones (who you may know from bands such as Diaz Brothers, H.D.Q., Loudmouth & Red Alert) on backing vocals and the legendary Frankie Stubbs (Leatherface) on guest vocals. The song was recorded at the Bunker, Sunderland, by Phil Jackson and mastered by Leatherface bassist Graeme Philliskirk and it's out on his label Little Rocket Records. There's an album on the way which I'm definitely looking forward to.
Dealing with a situation which I can certainly empathise with (it can get lonely in bed on your own but it's great having the tv remote!), this is a modern day melodic punk classic, it's called Love Being Alone...
It's been a long time since you called me baby, It's been a long time since we were friends, It's been a long time since you called me baby, don't you you see? It's been a long time and it's you that done this, not me!
I wanna be in your life again But I love being alone
By the time you heard me, my soul had left my body, By the time I woke up you'd already gone, The note you left me was vague at best and I'll deal with that, It's my own uncertainty and just my luck that you came back
I'll see you in your nightmares I'll see you in yours!
We're promised that "The opening and title track “Party Hard(ly)" is a cocktail of everything that makes Bitch Queens great - the hookline will drill itself into your skull and make babies with your endorphins, the lyrics, at the same time simple and profound, will make you sing along in a silly voice and the exquisite Death-Punk Riff will get you into trouble with your neighbors." I've gotta be honest, that makes me want to check it out!
This is the one that comes with a video. It's basically a big, brash scuffed up pop song designed to be played loud. Crank up the volume and practice that silly voice. It's called Recycled Youth...
the kids are into all the new shit
now that all the old shit’s been cherry picked
recycled into new technology
the same core principles, a new ideology
I want to smash my body into yours
it’s all old news, reused and retitled
refused and recycled, recycled youth
fashion teen dream all pinterested
it’s all pre-chewed, all pre-digested
spoon-fed lifestyle, nothing has changed
just a firmware update, a new user interface
it's all patched up, it’s all ready to go
a new generation is always knocking on that door
we thought we were original new world pioneers
but we were never unique, we were recycled ideas
You may know Paul Hammond. He's been around the punk scene for more years than he'd probably care to mention and he's currently host of the rather successful Punk AF radio show (you can check out episodes here : https://www.mixcloud.com/punkafradio/ ).
He'd like to recommend you listen to a new band...
Two Tonne Machete (https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100083552079115)….what a great name for a band! Sometimes you see a great name and think wow these should be good….and they’re not! Two Tonne Machete are great though!
Hailing from North Wales the band formed 6 months ago and have been secretly writing and recording. The line up features - Emily Hart (Vocals & Guitar), Roland Johnson (Bass) & Josh Cunningham(Drums).
They just dropped their 1st single called ‘Trap’ and say they only write “bangerz” and this certainly is. It’s big & heavy with a filthy bass and sits beautifully with the likes Of Idles, Metz, Byker Grove Fan Club etc.
They describe themselves as “DIY renegades, feminist, loud & untethered from the material world. Vocalist Emily Hart has been in various bands over the years including ‘Libertine’ who I remember from the early 90’s, she has a great voice and now she has a great band behind her. If this debut release is anything to go by then we’ll be hearing a lot more from them.
The single which was produced by Producer Jono Tringham at ‘Allo Sounds’ in Widnes is released on all streaming services on Friday 28th October as well as a Limited Edition ‘Floppy disc’.
Top notch street punk/oi for you today from Plymouth trio Riot City Radio (https://www.facebook.com/riotcityradio/). They've featured on here a couple of times previously, boast members of bands such as Hostile Minds, Arch Rivals, Hard Wax etc and are one of those special breed of acts that never seem to put out a bad song.
Their songs are usually about the kind of topics you'd expect from this sort of band, if you check out the titles on their debut album Time Will Tell, you'll know exactly what you're in for; 'Punk Rock Family', 'Never Forgive, Never Forget', 'Overcome', 'Practice What You Preach', 'Reap What You Sow' etc. There's even a track titled 'Working Class Anthem' in which they proclaim "This is our anthem, sing it now." Pretty regulation subjects to cover but performed with great gusto in exactly the manner you want from this genre. Catchy as hell, singalong earworms that'll disappoint no one.
This is a track they've released a video for, it's a timely song of which the band say "Sadly due to the state of both national and international politics it seems more relevant today then when we wrote it over a year ago..." It's called On The Streets...
Now they return fired up and punchy as ever with a debut album titled Beat Beat Beat. It's available now on coloured vinyl from Brassneck Records (UK) & Lavasocks Records (USA).
There's 9 tracks of fast paced punk rock which is nicely rough around the edges but has enough hooks to hang all the hats you could ever need on. Kicking off with single Gimme Gimme, it rattles along with barely a pause for breath. Garage meets hardcore and it sounds great.
This track was one of the highlights for me, it's about those in power taking the piss out of us whilst being cheered on by flag waving knuckleheads who should know better. It's called They're Wrong...
What do you get if you take members of C.O.F.F.I.N., Stiff Richards and Cutters and lock them in a room for a week with nothing but gravel to gargle and Motorhead albums pumping out of the sound system? You'd probably get something like this...
Polute are Ben Portnoy (drums/vocals), Arron Mawson (guitar) & Brendan Stringer (bass). They're a 3 piece from Rye. They're this week's Australian band of the week (recent winners of that accolade include the likes of The Prize, Mannequin Death Squad, Split System (a band who also feature Arron Mawson), Boudicca, The Owen Guns and Doe Street (a band who also feature Arron Mawson!)).
They've just released a debut ep that's 4 tracks of raw, sleazy punk n roll with Ben gargling his way through his vocal duties as though his throat is in serious need of copious TCP whilst the rest of the band thrash away furiously in support. A Self Titled offering, it's available on ltd edition coloured 7" vinyl (deep purple or piss orange) and digital download via Legless Records https://polute.bandcamp.com/album/polute
Middleman are a young melodic hardcore trio from London who got together in 2021 and who've been rapidly gaining an expanding fanbase due to their frantic live shows, sharing stages with the likes of both their mates (Island Of Love and Powerplant) and with more established outfits such as Soul Glo, Rixe & High Vis. The line up of the band is Noah Alves (Vocals/Guitar), Harper Maury (Bass) & Lily Pym (Drums) and their influences include The Replacements, Mission of Burma, Minutemen, Wipers, Wire etc.
They've a debut ep on the way which will be titled Cut Out The Middleman. Recorded by Ben Spence at Fuzzbrain Studios, Walthamstow, it was mixed and mastered by Jonah Falco (Fucked Up/Career Suicide) through the same tape machine which Nirvana used for Bleach. The ep will be released next month on cassette and digital download via Dagenham label Brain Rotter Records. One of the songs is available now name your price : https://brainrotterrecords.bandcamp.com/track/entropy
A very promising debut from a band finding their feet, this bodes well for the future. A distinctive sound in which they borrow from their influences but add their own fresh spin, this track's called Entropy...
Cousin Betty (https://www.facebook.com/cousinbettyband) are from Sydney and they're having an impressive 2022. In March they released a very good ep titled Taxes And Left (their first release with their new line up) and now they're back with a new single which gives us a taste of what will be on their upcoming album (due early next year). As well as this, vocalist Matt Downey has been busy with another cool band called Litter who have an album on the way very soon titled Vignettes Of Despondency/A Life Alimentaire and who featured on JSPS a couple of months ago and went down a storm https://justsomepunksongs.blogspot.com/2022/07/litter-hate-will-own-you.html
With regard to the band's name, they say "Cousin Betty is an outsider. Jilted, bitter and menacing. She's weird as fuck, and hard as nails. Hopefully our music embodies at least a couple of those great qualities." With regards to the new single, they promise "another riff-based, melodic rock monster. Grinding guitar, huge backing vocals, swirling keys and punching drums assemble to carry a message about the ugliness of entitlement." It's a promise they live up to.
With a vocal style that brings to mind punk legend Jello Biafra, the song suggests social progress is just that. Nothing is guaranteed, nothing much changes overnight. Fresh agendas require time. Rosa Parks might have refused to give up her bus seat but this was just (a significant) part in the continuing battle against racism rather than the end of the fight. It helped push the envelope. More of us need to push to achieve change.
Well I say it over and over again on my site but Punk Rock is alive and well in 2022. The latest example of this is a band called Surrogates from Minneapolis, Minnesota USA.
This 4 piece lines up with Lulu-vocals, Connor-guitar, Rob-bass and Mike -drums. Since first hearing their 7 track Self Titled release on Bandcamp I haven't stopped listening to it.
Unfortunately this is only available as a digital download but some in-touch record label needs to put this out on vinyl! Their sound is Classic 80's style Punk/Hardcore with Lulu's vocals bringing to mind past greats like Legal Weapon, Red Scare and Sin 34. From the very first opening track "Intro-Rooftop" this will have you wanting to Pogo or Circle Pit (chose your dance!).
The song I'm gonna spotlight is called "Waste" and defines this band's sound. Beautiful guitar melodies led by a pounding rhythm section. Great lyrics, great tunes and I seriously hope this band stick around because I already want more!
Hailing from Hammond, Indiana and having introduced herself (to me at least) as a member of mega cool band Liquids, Abi Ooze released a very fine debut EP at the back end of last year titles R.I.P. It wasn't her first release under her own name (although strictly speaking as her real name is Jade Baisa I suppose I should write stage name?), there'd already been a few cassettes but I missed them. Anyway, R.I.P. was on Bandcamp as a name your price download (https://abiooze.bandcamp.com/album/r-i-p) and it was also available as a 7" single (sadly on Bandcamp it said it was "Abi Ooze’s first and last 7” release" which suggested this could be a short lived project.
And then came a song on the Introductory Rites comp from No Label which I described as "short, catchy and every bit as good as anything on R.I.P." (https://nolabel3.bandcamp.com/track/abi-ooze-run-and-hide). But was it a new track, signifying Abi Ooze was very much still a going concern or was it just something hanging around that had found a home?
Happily, the upcoming release of the Forestdale Sessions ep suggests it's the former. With songs written in 2022 ("5 quick Joan Jett/Ramones style pogo punker hits + 1 ballad + 1 stellar Shangri Las cover"), hopefully this is just the early stages of what's shaping up to be a stellar body of work. You can pre order the cassette or digital download from Rotten Apple : https://rottenapplelabel.bandcamp.com/album/abi-ooze-forestdale-sessions
There's one track streaming already and it's every bit as good as we could have hoped for. There's been some awesome power pop tunes released in 2022, here's another one to add to that list. Lyrically sad, musically totally uplifting, this is wonderful. It's called Cry Alone...
Brigada Flores Magon (https://www.facebook.com/Brigadafm) are a band from Paris who formed at the end of the 1990's and swiftly established themselves in Europe as the flagship group of the anti-fascist street punk movement. They mix political activism with punk rage and their first album in 15 years (released 2 years after they reformed) demonstrates that the fire still burns as brightly (“The very rage which fuelled us twenty years ago still burns more than ever. This very anger leads us to come back now to shout our rebellion and our solidarity among those who are not heard. It has been two decades, yet society keeps on sinking in the abyss of injustice dug by those in power. We refuse to see our freedom and our rights disappear hopelessly day by day.”).
The line up of the band is Mateo ( vocals ), Julien ( drums ), Goose ( ex-The Decline, guitar ), Arno Rudeboy ( ex-Bolchoi, guitar ) and Laurent ( ex-Ya Basta, bass ). The new album is titled Immortals and in an inspiring internationalist effort, they’ve got Machete Records (France) / Discos Machete (Mexico) / Rebel Time Records (Canada) / RASH GDL (Mexico) / PM Press (USA) / Dure Realite (Quebec) / RASH USA (USA) / SHARP Rio De Janeiro (Brazil) / Three Way Fight (USA) / Unite And Win (Brazil), all joining forces / combining resources to ensure that the album – its music and its message – gets spread far and wide. If you want gritty/anthemic punk rock with a message then check it out... https://brigadafloresmagon.bandcamp.com/album/immortels
This track is accompanied by a video featuringvarious antifascist demonstrations in Paris, it's a great example of how catchy this band are. It's called Hold The Line...
FRENCH LYRICS
Face aux condés, en première ligne
Devant tes juges, la tête haute
Sous les matraques, les dents serrées
La rage au ventre jusqu’à la nausée
Saisis ta chance, vas-y balance
À droite, une brèche, un homme qui tombe
Dans la fumée, du sang par terre
Faut pas fléchir, fais les rôtir
Ne jamais baisser la tête
Ne jamais desserrer les poings
Ne jamais penser à la fin
Ta détermination est leur défaite
Comes the time, hold the line
Dans la chaleur, la peau qui brûle
Dans ta bouche, un goût de métal
Les yeux qui piquent, un pas devant l’autre
Des cris, des chants, la vague l’emporte
Dans quelques mètres, la fin de leur monde
De nouveau résonnent les chants
de l’humanité, celle qui survit
Ses cris résonnent, frères, elle rugit
Ne jamais baisser la tête
Ne jamais desserrer les poings
Ne jamais penser à la fin
Ta détermination est leur défaite
Seize time hold the Line
ENGLISH LYRICS
Facing the cops, on the front line
In front of your judges, your head held high
Under the truncheons, clenched teeth
Rage in your stomach until nausea
Take your chance, swing it hard
On the right, a breach, a man falling
In the smoke, blood on the ground
Don't flinch, roast 'em
Never lower your head
Never unclench your fists
Never think about the end
Your determination is their defeat
Comes the time, hold the line
In the heat, the skin that burns
In your mouth, a taste of metal
Itchy eyes, one step after another
Cries, singings, the wave prevails
In a few meters, the end of their world
The singings resound again
of humanity, the one who survives
Her cries ring out, brothers, she roars
Never lower your head
Never unclench your fists
Never think about the end
Your determination is their defeat
Comes the time, hold the line
If I was to make a list of my favourite releases of 2022, one album that would feature on there would be the debut lp by I Will Take You Hunting (https://www.facebook.com/iwtyh). They're a duo from Scotland (Steve Simms vocals & Dave Martin guitars/drums) and the album had the rather cool title of Don't go to bed mad, stay up and fight all night. I featured one of the songs from it and mentioned how I was reminded a little of early Stranglers (https://justsomepunksongs.blogspot.com/2022/05/i-will-take-you-hunting-stop-rot.html).
They return today with a new song which celebrates neurodiversity. If you don't know, the term describes the idea that people experience and interact with the world around them in many different ways; there is no one "right" way of thinking, learning, and behaving, and differences are not viewed as deficits. As the band say, "for those who have a neuro diverse brain. You're not mental!"
A guest review today by a proper, published author as not only was Barry Phillips a member of bands such as Demob, Blitz Boys, Kiss The Blade, The Wheel, Hooligan Crooners etc, he also wrote the book In Search of Tito's Punks: On the Road in a Country That No Longer Exists. He's recommending you check out a debut album by Creeping Tide (https://www.facebook.com/creepingtide) and begins by saying; "Sorry it took so long but I wanted to give it a proper listen or two. It's more odd than I thought at first . . . which makes it kind of interesting. I've never met Ben but he seems like one of the good ones so . . ."
I like a meandering, non-linear backstory. It bugs me when other people seem to have their lives or careers planned out and it all works. Part of the problem with the world today is that the internet with its Google algorithms and Amazon “other people who bought…” are killing serendipity and chance. So, I was compelled to be attracted by the story of Creeping Tide.
So there’s this drummer who used to be in the Swiss punk outfit Tastes Like Chicken (‘Black Market Crash’, Hannibal Records, 1999), who moved to beautiful Sheffield, started attending the legendary ‘Arches’ club and became smitten with techno. Right. More than smitten, that man — Ben Fraser — says it was an epiphany as he realised “. . . there was a punk equivalent in the dance/electronic world - both musically and in terms of vibe/attitude.” So much so, that he set to learning all about electronic music production and DJing and developing his own Ben Fraser sound (acid techno) and later Sabretooth sound (psytrance). The result has been hundreds of releases and gigs around the world (mainly Europe). But when the C***D lockdowns extinguished the entire techno scene, Ben returned to his first love of punk rock and set about bringing his techno recording skills to producing a one-man studio album.
I’ll have to put my own cards on the table at this point. When a mutual Sheffield friend visited our Highland wilderness and told me I really should listen to what Ben was doing I really had to wrestle with my own prejudices. The techno DJs I had encountered in the Netherlands and in Australia had been (almost universally) rich-kid, Elon Musk fanboy, techie-libertarian, anti-5G-bat types who revered the likes of Trump and Johnson. To me, that was not a ‘punk equivalent’ vibe. However, our mutual Sheffield friend is also a rather successful techno DJ, is a very fine fellow, and assured me that Ben’s analysis is accurate. On reflection, this was all a very logical development in that fair and wondrous city, since it was indeed the home of the original techno-punks (at least in UK terms) the Human League. Anyone who has seen the great Made In Sheffield will be all too aware of the (real) League’s punk roots. And the ‘Arches’ club is in the same old ‘mesters’ workshop complex as the equally legendary ‘Yellow Arches’ rehearsal and recording studios - Richard Hawley, Ming City Rockers, Jarvis Cocker, Slow Club etc.
So it was that I contacted Ben and asked for a pre-release of the album. I admit, on first listen I was a little surprised by the production, and the pleasingly ‘full band’ feel . . . surprised but also impressed. There are fifteen songs on the ‘The Wages of an Ill Spent Life’ LP, rather too many to thumbnail-review all of them. The opening track is a cracker; ‘The Sinners’ starts with a Carter USM sequencer-hook before exploding into a wall of dirty rhythm guitars and a, rather complementary, Carter-style rhythm track. The equally excellent ‘Warning Shot’ has a similar feel with a great, soaring Carteresque chorus. A judicious scattering of samples throughout the album enforces the feel. But there is sufficient variety to hold our attention. ‘Release It’ brings to my mind a number of contemporary bands from ex-Yugoslavia — perhaps the (literally) anthemic chorus? An impertinent critic might suggest ‘Cut To The Chase’ almost crosses into metal territory but just about stays in lane. Elsewhere there are splashes of ska, dub and electro, all of which come together in the frankly genre-busting ‘Pugaree’. I’ll not even attempt to describe this, beyond saying the phrase that came to mind was “ . . . evil bastard child of Eurovision, on acid.” But I warn you, this thing has a spike protein as merciless as any variant and will infect you. The whole album is rounded off with the mighty, fists-in-the-air, ‘Half Life’.
Overall there is perhaps a little Oi! influence, but in a Lars Frederikson kind of way. Maybe ‘streetpunk’ then? If you are partial to the likes of Rancid you will certainly find plenty to like here. There are other similarities with that Bay Area punk family – mostly I would suggest the production – but it is all imbued with that Carter/ravey hyper-energy, and the overall effect retains an intangible ‘Britishness’. It’s a mighty impressive debut in my book, so much so that I wanted to spread the word amongst the Just Some Punk Songs new-punk cognoscenti. Give it a blast.
They're a band who remind me of some of my recent favourites in the genre, bands like Cyanide Pills (watch out for a new album from them soon) and The Briefs. I keep banging on about how catchy they are and on the evidence of the two teaser tracks they've offered up from their new album, nothing much has changed.
This is the opening track, it's a fat free blast of old school punk rock that tells us even if you weren't born when the first wave of killer bands were bringing anarchy and chaos to the stage you can still have that golden era firmly etched into your heart. It's called Get My Kicks From '76...
haven't been born until '89 sheltered childhood in the country side formed a punk band to kill the time zero talent and D.I.Y
get my kicks from '76 get my kicks from 1976
you moved on and I moved out got always something to shout about safety pins still matter to me safety pins and anarchy
Breakup Haircut (https://www.facebook.com/breakuphaircut) are a quartet from London featuring Ishani Jasmin (Rhythm guitar/vocals), Delphine Thenet (Lead guitar/vocals), Emma Ripley (Bass/vocals) & Jordan Dilger (Drums). They released an album in July with the rather great title of Punk Dancing For Self Defence. Put together over a longer than normal timespan due to various Covid lockdowns it boasts "15 tracks - old, new and newer - touching on breakups, boundary-setting, social anxiety, bi-erasure, and above all, existing under capitalism." There's some wonderful moments on there. One highlight, Why Can't I Be Cool Enough To Move To Berlin? featured on the Just Some Punk Songs show a few months ago, another (the song you'll find below) will feature this week. Other unmissable tracks include single Marie Kondo, Out Of My Way (I'm Not Getting On The Nightbus) and Mum I Wanna Be A Greaser.
This is the opening track, it's called I Don't Wanna Be Your Friend...
I don't wanna sink my teeth in sweat
I don't wanna sink my teeth in
I don't wanna get stuck in this hole
I don't even wanna be your friend
I feel sick beyond my means
Feels like I'm ripping at the seams
Maybe I'm just being unreasonable
I don't even wanna be your friend
I don't wanna be this person
I don't wanna be this person
I don't wanna be this person
I don't even wanna be your friend
What if this sees me alone?
I've never called myself a home
I guess you could be worth my time
I don't even wanna be your friend
I don't wanna say no
I don't wanna be mean
I don't wanna people please
I don't even wanna be your friend
About time you figured out
Seems kinda rude to weigh you down
I'm really busy right now
I don't even wanna be your friend
Text you back after three days like
Sorry, just that work's been crazy
I'm doing dry January
I don't even wanna be your friend
You're not entitled to my time
Just 'cause you're such a special guy
