As you may have already gathered from the cover art, The Merinuks named themselves after the legendary artist Darren Merinuk - who has been cool enough to design the band's logo and artwork! This trio from Hamilton, Ontario has been at it since 2018 and just released a debut EP that is an absolute hoot. When you say "garage punk", that usually just implies trashy, low-budget punk rock. But in the case of The Merinuks, it's more like garage rock with a punk attitude. Palpable influences range from The Who to The Stooges to the Stones to Teenage Head. These guys play loud, thumping rock and roll that very much aligns with the artistic spirit of their namesake. About 30 seconds into "Real Cool Love", I was like, "This reminds me of The Dictators!". Of course I was hooked from there. "I Still Love Detroit Rock City" is a song about how awesome it was to be a KISS fan growing up in the '70s - which I can certainly relate to as a '70s kid myself. "Hurry Hard" kind of brings to mind a less obnoxious Angry Samoans. Whether you call it garage or proto-punk or just plain kick-ass rock and roll, "Driver" is an absolute smasher. All in all, this EP is the most fun that $4 could possibly buy you. It's got all the classic stylings of garage rock with the lyrical and musical edge of punk rock. And I love how these fellas inject their humor and personality into their songs. I bet they are a blast to see live. EP 2 already in the works!
-L.R.
https://merinuks.bandcamp.com/album/ep-1
https://www.facebook.com/themerinuks/
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