It was way back in September 2019 when I raved about a punk trio out of Christchurch, New Zealand called Nervous Jerks. I know that was less than four years ago, but it seems like an eternity on the pandemic time scale. Fortunately, no pandemic could kill Nervous Jerk. The band is back with a new album called Ugly Losers Club that builds on the promise of its prior releases. Coming in at a lean ten tracks, Ugly Losers Club is the kind of top-quality straight-up punk rock and roll record that I'm always pumped to encounter. I really dig the band's crackling energy and simple yet skilled songwriting. If we're having a conversation about all the fantastic punk groups coming out of Australia and New Zealand these days, Nervous Jerk needs to be in the discussion. Not content to be pigeonholed into any particular sub-genre, Tom, Brad, and Johnny show they can do it all on this smashing new full-length. "Mission" is killer catchy punk rock that will get your toes tapping and fist pumping. "Bad Babysitter" hits that sweet spot where early punk meets the dawn of hardcore. "Rips" is quintessential modern-day garage punk and fully lives up to its title. Also living up to its title is the raw & energetic "Short Song." "Coco Monday" is kind of poppy without necessarily being "pop-punk." Elsewhere, the band channels early '90s slacker rock on the brilliant "U.R." and cooks up a Saints meet western vibe on the powerful closer "Hard Come, Easy Go." All in all, this is an incredibly impressive album that is sure to be one of my highest-rated punk long players of the year. Get it from Dust Up! Records while supplies last!
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