The Control Freaks - Double Dose Of Hate

Photo by David Greenfield

Wait, The Control Freaks are putting out another single? How about that: I am the bearer of good news! Their last single, "I Am Crime", just came out last month on Bachelor Records (Order it here!). Next up is Double Dose of Hate, due out November 2 on the fabulous Dirty Water Records. This single literally IS a double dose of hate, as both tracks are odes to...you guessed it...hate! Who can't get behind that?! Sherrilynn Nelson (formerly keyboardist for The Omens) loved The Control Freaks so much that she learned guitar just so she could join the band. "Time's Up" from the last single was her CF songwriting debut. Double Dose of Hate opens with another song she penned called "I Hate Your Face". That's a damn fine title, and sure enough the song lives up to it! I can never get enough of this sort of old-style catchy punk rock, and I really dig the back-and-forth exchange between Sherrilynn and Greg. For a song about hate, those lyrics are surprisingly profound. And about 99 out of 100 humans will fully relate to that line "I'm still in love with you/But I hate your face". On the flip, "Hatelist" has a nastier edge to it and brings to mind Greg's late, great band Zodiac Killers. This one will have you pumping your fist and shouting along in fervent dedication to everyone who's ever wronged you or otherwise pissed you off. Those lyrics are so hilariously scathing that I feel Greg is entitled to some sort of literary prize!

When it comes to garage punk in the year 2018, The Control Freaks are showing everyone how it's done. Double Dose of Hate is their fourth single - and in my opinion their best yet. I say this because of the impossible time I'm having trying to determine which of these two tracks is "the hit". One song can be played at max volume while you curse the name of significant others past and present. The other will feed your abhorrence for just about everyone else. Arguments over which track is superior could very well lead to drunken fist fights and ruined friendships. Do we really want that? So let's just call it a tie and agree that a double dose of hate is exactly what this world needs. Pre-order here!




-L.R.

https://thecontrolfreaksband.bandcamp.com/album/double-dose-of-hate
https://www.facebook.com/ControlFreaksSF/ 
https://www.dirtywaterrecords.co.uk/ 
https://www.facebook.com/dirtywaterrecords/