The Hangups - Stupid World

   It's been a great 2019 for punk music so far, the opening quarter of the year has seen plenty of killer releases. If you're a pop punk fan then the next few days on this blog you'll be pleased to see me feature bands from the Monster Zero Records roster. Based in Austria and run by Kevin "Aper" Stout they've been putting out some of the genre's best music and over the next 3 days I'll be illustrating how they're keeping up those high standards.

  First up, a song that I was certain I'd already posted but which I'd only played on the show. It's the lead track on the recent 2nd ep from Malmo 4 piece The Hangups. They formed in 2015 and I featured their debut ep here : https://justsomepunksongs.blogspot.com/2018/03/the-hangups-addicted.html. They play late 90's/early 2000's style pop punk in the style of Screeching Weasel & The Parasites etc and after a couple of changes they line up with Ale (guitar/vocals), Hugo (bass/backing vocals), Poffe (drums) and Ludvig (guitar/backing vocals). They're one of my favourite new pop punk bands and you can get more info on them here :   https://www.facebook.com/thehangupssux/

  The new ep is called No Expectations, it's comprised of 4 catchy brain worms and it's available on black & blue splatter 7" vinyl (ltd to 300 copies) https://monsterzerorecords.com/products/hangups-the-no-expectations-7 as well as digitally : https://monsterzerorecords.bandcamp.com/album/no-expectations

  This is the lead song, I can hear echoes of Teenage Bottlerocket running through the intro before Ale starts singing about nothing making sense to him as he's losing his mind in a world that feels upside down. The catchiest pop punk song of 2019 so far? Probably! This is timeless stuff guaranteed to get your feet moving. It's called Stupid World...

The Hangups - Addicted

  The Hangups are a melodic punk rock 3 piece from Malmo, Sweden who formed in 2015 and who's line up consists of Ale Hangup (guitar/vocals), Hugo (bass/backing vocals) and Jimmy (drums). They released their debut S/T ep digitally in 2016 but it's only recently become available on 7" vinyl from Monster Zero Records. Influenced by the likes of The Ramones, The Queers, Screeching Weasel, Teenage Bottlerocket etc, I find that this is a genre where the good bands often get lost amongst a surfeit of mediocrity. Not on this occasion though as The Hangups seem to get pretty much everything spot on. The songs are catchy & fun and the production is bang on the mark.

  Opener Addicted will rattle around in your head like the best ear worms do. I Don't Wanna Be With You ups the pace nicely and is about realising you want out of a shitty relationship, Alone is a bright and breezy Teenage Bottlerocket style  tune and closing track It Is You keeps things at a high tempo leaving you wanting more. Luckily there's plans for another ep later this year. 

  If you like what you hear you can get the 7" here :  https://monsterzerorecords.com/products/hangups-the-s-t-7

  Digitally it's available here :  https://monsterzerorecords.bandcamp.com/album/s-t

  For more info, including details on their gig with The Ramonas, give them a like on Facebook.... https://www.facebook.com/thehangupssux/

  Give them a listen, I'm betting you'll end up Addicted.....