Thursday, December 19, 2019

Real Tears - Hay Fever

What a 2019 it's been for Alien Snatch Records! The legendary label, celebrating its 20th anniversary, has been responsible for a whole bunch of my favorite releases of the year (Pale Lips, Phone Jerks, TV Crime..I could go on and on). One I have not yet mentioned is the terrific second album from Sweden's Real Tears. I was a big fan of the band's first album, which I reviewed back in 2016. The follow-up Hay Fever is every bit as good. On this 13-song long player, Real Tears sound like they're intent on making the best Dickies album in decades. These guys play super fast punk rock with pop hooks, as songs alternate between mega-hyper ("These Unwashable Hands of Mine", "Dumsterdivin'") and just plain hyper ("Crooner Steel", "Little Things"). Only one track exceeds two minutes, so there's no waiting around for any of these songs to get to the good part. As a big fan of poppy punk rock, I've gotta say this album hits me in all the right spots. The tunes are catchy, the playing is tight, and the energy level is infectious. Real Tears basically formed out of the ashes of Impo and the Tents, and you can certainly hear the similarities between the two bands. Real Tears are probably a little punkier, but still with hooks out the wazoo. If you're burned out on Ramonescore, maybe it's time to give Dickies-core a try!



-L.R.

https://aliensnatch.bandcamp.com/album/real-tears-hay-fever 
https://realtearsua.bandcamp.com/ 
https://www.facebook.com/realtearsua/ 
http://www.aliensnatch.de/ 
https://www.facebook.com/ALIEN.SNATCH.RECORDS 

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