The Ratboys - Click

When two of my favorite record labels collaborate on the same release, there's a very high probability that I'm going to be into it. Sure enough, the new Ratboys album co-released by Rum Bar and Wanda Records is a Lord Rutledge special! Legend has it that The Ratboys formed as a result of Eric St John running into his old friend Vincenzo D'Aguanno at a festival headlined by The Kids, Buzzcocks, The Sex Pistols, and New York Dolls back in 2008. The duo quickly came up with the idea of starting a '77-style punk rock band, and within a couple years The Ratboys released an album called Cash, Gas And Trash. The band disbanded shortly after the release of the album but finally re-grouped last year with guitarist James Neligan and drummer Reno Aerts jumping on board. So after a ten-year hiatus between albums, Click arrives as the Belgian foursome's second LP. This album epitomizes what you might call the "classic punk" sound. It's built on decades of affectation for the Ramones, Pistols, Dolls, Stooges, and every other staple of first wave punk rock. The delightful "Everybody Loves The Ramones" and "Summer School Girl" pay loving homage to the greatest band to ever walk the earth. "Sonic Boy" and "Listen Closely To Your Heart" marry the pop-leaning '77 punk of The Vibrators to the powerhouse guitars of Steve Jones and Johnny Thunders. "Come On Baby Turn Me On" hits that sweet spot where pub rock crashes into '70s glam rock. Songs like "Motor City Rock'n'Roll" and "Golden Age of Trash" leave no doubt about The Ratboys' revivalist mission. These guys aren't trying to give us anything new. They are punk rock classicists with a particular fondness for pop hooks and roaring guitars. The influences are obvious, and the whole album is great fun for '77 punk enthusiasts like me. Click, in a word, is a blast. If you're not pogoing in your pajamas by the time you get through two tracks, you've got the volume too low!



-L.R.

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