The Goodyear Wimps is a pretty hilarious band name, and Songs for Adult Children With Distortion (misplaced modifier intended?) is a pretty hilarious album title. This band from Boise plays super-catchy pop-punk that sometimes leans towards power pop. You may know the singer Brent V from his other band The Brents. Over these six tracks, Brent V shows a terrific sense of humor. But even though he doesn't take himself too seriously, he's an excellent songwriter with a real flair for tuneful melodies and earworm hooks. A lot of these lyrics made me laugh out loud, but it's the quality of the songwriting that keeps bringing me back for more. "Sunday Morning" sounds like what would happen if Weezer played pop-punk, and I am here for it! If this is what "hacksaw power pop" sounds like, count me in. A very promising debut from the mighty Mountain West!
Perhaps the only thing in life as dependable as death & taxes are Bart and the Brats, who return with another superb release of '77-style punk rock stripped to its bare bones. Still fresh off a third LP and a killer split with Battlebeats, Bart hit the studio with Lo' Spider in Toulouse this past fall and knocked out Can't Think Straight — out now on 7" record on the labels Juvenile Delinquent and Take The City Records. Bart isn't messing with the recipe one bit, and why would he? These two-minute, three-chord bangers bring to mind the Ramones in first album form and UK counterparts such as The Lurkers and Vibrators. Bart's vocal style is immediately recognizable, and his ability to churn out simple, thumping punk tunes of the highest quality is hard to beat. Put any of these songs on a compilation of 1977 punk tracks, and they won't sound out of place!
Here's some more excitement in the Mom's Basement Records department: Hoaxxers are releasing their (sort of) debut 7" on the label very soon. I say "sort of" because Hoaxxers look and sound suspiciously like Charlie, Kye, and Tron from Joe Jitsu, a really terrific pop-punk band from the 2000s. I had to look up when I first reviewed Joe Jitsu, and it was twenty years ago! Man, does time fly! But this is a new band for a new time, with a sound that's maybe a little more, uh, punkier? In advance of the 7", the band has released one of the tracks, "Thought That You Should Know," as a digital single. The punkier sensibility manifests itself mostly in a peppier tempo, but otherwise this is not far removed at all from Joe Jitsu. And that's a good thing. Charlie's voice is as smooth as silk, and the song bursts with energy and melody in that old school '90s style. For not having played together for a while, these three sound tight as heck! "Thought That You Should Know" is a free download from Bandcamp, so be sure to grab it if you're a fan of Joe Jitsu or good pop-punk in general. If Mom's Basement is putting it out, you know it's gotta be good!
I know a lot of us have been waiting for this one for a while, and here it is: the first publicly-released recordings from Moncton's newest garage punk sensations the Tidal Bores! I did my best not to break down and cry when Phone Jerks split — figuring that some former Phone Jerks would start new projects and that the awesomeness would ultimately be multiplied. It's looking like I called that right with all the amazing TJ Cabot releases I've enjoyed in recent years. And now the world can be introduced to the Tidal Bores — a group featuring members of Phone Jerks, Impulse Items, Whore Gasms, Small Package, Adhesives, and Valentine Killers. Brian LaManna is on lead vocals. If you know his musical influences, you will have a good idea of what to expect from the Tidal Bores. What I like about this demo from Tidal Bores is that it really is a demo. These tracks are live off the floor. The band isn't throwing the songs online and calling it an EP. This is the kind of thing that used to come out on cassette tape back in the day: a band's raw first recordings that hint at its potential but aren't necessarily meant to represent a finished product. And now thanks to the magic of technology, a demo tape can be digital — which means more people can hear it, and less money is spent on postage. With this little taste of Tidal Bores, we get a feel for what the band is all about. These songs rip hard, walking the fine line between 1981 hardcore and Pagans-style OG budget punk. "Zero Hour" is the only original track. "Civilization's Dying" is a cover of the Zero Boys classic. "Methanol" is a re-working of a song Brian co-wrote when he was in the Valentine Killers back in the late 20th century. Put together, these songs sure fit the tenor of the times. If someone had handed me a tape like this back in the day, and I had gone home and pressed play, I would have gone nuts. And now here we all are, getting in on the ground floor with the Tidal Bores together. I'm looking forward to a proper EP!
Now this was a killer surprise! I was scrolling through social media last night and discovered that one of my favorite bands had just dropped a brand-new single that I didn't even know was coming out. And it's a teaser for a full-length album releasing next month! The Reflectors are, in my book, one of the two or three best power pop bands going. They've released two totally fantastic albums, and a third LP called Going Out of Fashion is soon forthcoming on Neon Nile. In advance of the album, the new single "All the Way Down" gives us a little taste of what's to come. This is the first new music from The Reflectors in two-and-a-half years, and it does not disappoint. This, my friends, is a little piece of power pop bliss. I can't stop playing this tune, and I bet you won't be able to either. Enjoy and stay tuned!
I am not a believer in diminishing the value of art by assigning it a numerical rating. But if I were, I would award Classic Pat's new album Won't Back Down a ten out of ten. If you love pop-punk, you will love this album and should run through a brick wall if necessary to acquire it. That should be the end of this review, but it would be out of character for me to be that succinct.
Almost anyone who has bothered to read this far will be familiar with Classic Pat and the many great bands he has played in. With Won't Back Down (out today on Mom's Basement Records), he has delivered a royal treat for eternal fans of Lookout! Records inspired pop-punk. This is a particular genre with which I have a very complicated relationship. 70% of the time, I'm pretty "Meh!" about it. But the rest of the time, there's no music in the world I'd rather listen to. Won't Back Down is obviously in the latter category. On the first day of this year, I described "Sadie Hawkins Dance" as "one of the greatest pop-punk songs ever written." You may have suspected that I wrote those words under the influence of recency bias, temporary insanity, or a bad hangover, but now it's nine weeks later, and my opinion hasn't changed. When I reflect on why some pop-punk hits the spot for me and some of it doesn't, I can identify several qualities that tend to win me over:
I enjoy a likeable singer and funny, relatable lyrics.
I like to hear the influence of classic pop and rock 'n' roll.
I prefer a little variety over the course of an album.
The poppier the better!
I'll take catchy songs over new ideas any day of the week.
Let me tell you: if that's my rubric, Won't Back Down checks off every single box! Emulating the old school Lookout! sound without coming off like a cheap knockoff is a tricky task, but Classic Pat totally pulls it off. And the secret is that there's really no secret. It's all about writing perfect three-chord punk songs with earworm hooks. If "Seeing Triple" were any catchier, the CDC would be raiding the Mom's Basement headquarters at this very moment. "She Don't Care" is basically the best Screeching Weasel song in decades. "The Next In Line" is bubblegum perfection a la The Queers circa Don't Back Down. "No Telling At All" (featuring Canaan from Barbariettes on lead vocals) hits the pure pop side of the Ramones bang-on. Clearly Pat is transparent about his biggest influences. But rather than making me wish I were listening to the Ramones, Queers, or Screeching Weasel instead, Won't Back Down has reignited my love for pop-punk. And these songs are just so much fun. Over the course of the album, Pat reflects on the strain that responsible adulthood can place on friendships, waxes poetic on girlfriends who are awful and sometimes outright scary, romanticizes the golden age of rock 'n' roll, pays tribute to the cinematic classic Mallrats, and recounts an obviously true story about having to choose between dancing with a pretty girl and making it to the opening night screening of Demolition Man with some best buds. Now that's what I call relatable music!
With song styles ranging from snotty ("Creeped Out") to super-poppy ("Trend Setter") to oldies-influenced ("Do You Remember," "Goin' Nowhere") to classically pop-punk ("He's a Daddy Now"), Won't Back Down has something for every fan of pop-punk. Sometimes with a really good pop-punk album, I talk about how I would have totally flipped out if I'd heard it when I was 25. But Won't Back Down has me flipping out now. CDs are limited to 100 copies and available now from the Mom's Basement webstore. While you're over there, you can pre-order the vinyl for the new Yum Yums album (which is freaking awesome!) coming out next month on Screaming Apple Records!
"More Like Norman Fucking Mailer" is the first 2024 release (of likely many) from Friends of Cesar Romero. J. Waylon is that rare songwriter who can manage to be both prolific and consistent. There is no such thing as a sub-par Friends of Cesar Romero release. If you're into punky power pop, you need to smash that "Follow" button on Bandcamp so you never miss a new release from FOCR. That said, "More Like Norman Fucking Mailer," in my book, is one of the best songs J. Waylon has ever written. The title alone (which I assume to be a sly Lana Del Rey reference) is a work of brilliance, and thankfully the song lives up to it. On this release, J. Waylon leans towards power pop as much as he ever has. "More Like Norman Fucking Mailer" seems like a happy love song on its surface, but keep in mind that this is #41 in the Doomed Babe Series. Dig a little deeper, and you'll find signs of doom. This is a perfect power pop song, and little else needs to be said. On the virtual B-side, "I Believe In Her Science" is another top-notch power pop tune that's destined to become stuck in your head. This single is a tremendous showing from J. Waylon. His songwriting has never been stronger, and the sound quality he has elicited from a basement recording is beyond impressive. It's almost criminal that you can download something this good for free, but you will find many opportunities to wisely spend your money if you peruse the FOCR Bandcamp page!
