Wednesday, February 22, 2023

Rimmingtons - Rocket To Rimtown


I don't write about pop-punk as much as I used to. Perhaps that's because bands like Rimmingtons set such a high standard that just about anything else in the pop-punk world seems lackluster in comparison. Rocket To Rimtown is the debut full-length album from this Sydney-based trio, and it's a classic pop-punk album all the way. It's Ramones influenced, but it's not "Ramonescore." It's a throwback to '90s pop-punk, but it's not trying to clone The Queers or Screeching Weasel. I'm reminded more of bands like Teen Idols, The Young Hasselhoffs, Darlington, and early Lillingtons. The recipe is nothing new: write catchy three-chord pop songs with buzz-saw guitars and lyrics about girls. Yet somehow Rimmingtons make the formula exciting again. They understand that what they're doing isn't rocket science (no pun intended), yet they also realize what it takes to write a perfect pop song. Rocket To Rimtown is a super-fun album from start to finish. The band's execution of the pop-punk style is powerful & tight, and I love how these songs perfectly mix heart and humor (How can you not love a band that writes a love song to a burger?). "Wasted Time" is honestly one of the best "happy" love songs I've ever heard. There's nothing original whatsoever about Rimmingtons' sound, and I mean that as the highest possible compliment. If Rocket To Rimtown had shown up in my mailbox in 1996, I would have run into the street screaming for joy. I can't do that sort of thing anymore now that all the neighbors have cell phones. The album is available on LP from Endless Detention Records and Hey Pizza! Records, on compact disc from DUMB! Records, and on cassette from Memorable But Not Honorable!

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