Dropped Out - Get Lost

My stripped-down review of Dropped Out's new album Get Lost would read like this: pop-punk done right. That will entice some of you and send others running for the hills. But I think you all catch my drift. Austin-based trio Dropped Out makes no claims of reinventing the wheel. These guys are all about '90s pop-punk, and they execute the style exceptionally well. Out now on Otitis Media Records, Get Lost is full of tight, well-crafted songs with likeable vocals and lyrics. Influence-wise, I'm picking up on everything from Screeching Weasel to Green Day to Teen Idols to Parasites. So this band is definitely in my sweet spot for pop-punk. Some songs touch on classic pop-punk themes of heartbreak and relationship woes. Others exhibit a self-deprecating sense of humor. I like that these 10 tracks deliver a nice mix of really poppy mid-tempo tunes (definitely my cup of tea) and fast-paced '90s style melodic punk numbers (not always my cup of tea, but surprisingly pleasing to my ears in the case of this band). If you're cynical about pop-punk as a genre, Dropped Out is not going to turn you to the dark side. That said, Get Lost is everything a good pop-punk record ought to be. It's fun, catchy, and relatable to love and life. If I could somehow go back in time and play "Nicola" for 1996 me, he/I would have absolutely flipped!

-L.R.

https://atxdroppedout.bandcamp.com/album/get-lost
https://otitismediarecords.bandcamp.com/music
https://otitismediarecords.com/
https://www.facebook.com/DroppedOutBand/

The Battlebeats - You Don't Know Me

Boom! The greatest '90s garage punk band of the 2020s continues soothe our ears with its gloriously thumping racket! Out now on the legendary Big Neck Records, "You Don't Know Me" is the third 7" release from Bandung, Indonesia's The Battlebeats -- and the second of three singles due out from this band in 2022. In the same vein as the recent EP Killed By Boredom, "You Don't Know Me" updates The Battlebeats' primitive budget rock assault with a tougher edge and a higher quality of production. While Teengenerate and '90s Goner Records remain the obvious reference points for Andresa's songwriting, these tracks also dig back into the primordial ooze of '70s American punk rock and old school garage rock. These are killer tunes -- some of Andresa's strongest yet in terms of both composition and performance. This is the kind of record that Big Neck would have been proud to have released 25 years ago. How fortunate we are to have this label still going strong at a time when bands like The Battlebeats are on the rise! If you're looking for some real deal garage punk rock and roll to rip through your earhole, this is the noise you need!

-L.R.  

https://bigneckrecords1.bandcamp.com/album/you-dont-know-me
https://bigneckrecords.com/
https://www.facebook.com/bigneckrecords/
https://www.facebook.com/thebattlebeats
https://www.instagram.com/thebattlebeats/

Norcos Y Horchata - Forever Disheveled

There's nothing more rewarding as a music fan than watching super talented people blossom into true artists. Amado Movado (Devious Ones, Bump-N-Uglies, Bill Bondsmen) has long been one of the finest guitar players in the modern punk rock world. In the early stages of the pandemic, he started the solo recording project Norcos Y Horchata as a means to hold on to his sanity. Before long, his pals Dougie Tangent and Roman Wonsul joined in. And just like that, Norcos Y Horchata was a real band! Recorded last summer with Jim Diamond, Forever Disheveled is the band's debut album and the first-ever release made up entirely of songs written and sung by Amado. Essentially this album is Amado's rookie effort as a frontman, and it's quite spectacular! 

I previously raved about "Almost Lost My Thumb (to the Pinewood Derby)," a delightful sing-along tribute to Amado's grandfather. That was such an amazing song that I had to wonder: did Amado have more songs of that caliber in him? The answer is a resounding YES. Forever Disheveled is an absolute treat for anyone who likes catchy punk rock with a whole lot of grit. Amado takes quite well to being the face (and voice) of a band. His gruff everyman style perfectly suits lyrics that are honest, heartfelt, and down to earth. Musically, Norcos Y Horchata inhabit the shared space between the more tuneful side of street punk and the tougher side of rock and roll. Forever Disheveled conveniently arrives in this first week of summer and is best enjoyed in the company of good friends and the coldest, cheapest beer you can find. Over the course of these 10 tracks, Amado reflects on the consequences of his choices ("Forever Disheveled," "Clutter, Debt & Disarray"), dispenses some solid life advice ("There's Always Something New," "Oysters"), and laments a human race gone terribly wrong ("Chords Against Humanity," "...Out For Smokes"). Of course Amado has a knack for writing appealing and catchy three-chord rock tunes. Better yet, he's the kind of songwriter you can't help relating to. As he confronts his failures and shortcomings on the album's title track, he could just as easily be describing most of us. And on the timely "...Out For Smokes," he puts into words the thoughts that bring distress to almost any rational human at the moment:

It's like the whole world got dropped on its head/
Dropped on its head all at once/
And now it’s looking like some contest/
To crown the biggest dunce

We talk about COVID silver linings all the time, and Norcos Y Horchata is yet another example. This band may never have existed if Amado Movado hadn't found himself on the verge of losing his mind two years ago. He started writing these songs because he had to. Yet in spite of its despairing origins and moments of hard-to-swallow truths, Forever Disheveled is a really enjoyable and uplifting punk rock record. These are songs that are fun to sing along with -- perhaps even more so because they say something genuine about the present human experience. Amado the amazing guitarist is now Amado the amazing singer/songwriter, and we are all better off for it. LP ships in early August!

-L.R.

https://norcosyhorchata.bandcamp.com/album/forever-disheveled
https://www.facebook.com/norcosyhorchata/
https://www.instagram.com/norcosyhorchata/

The Prostitutes - the last two

This is my 11th time reviewing The Prostitutes for this blog, and it looks to be the last. The last two is the title of the latest single from The Prostitutes -- signaling a defined ending to a 27-year institution of American punk rock. And if these really are the last two Prostitutes tracks, it's great to hear this band going out exactly as it came in: with absolute fury. Even with its modern edge in production and guitar tone, "Sick to Death of Myself" has the feel of a classic Prostitutes song. Let me correct myself: it is a classic Prostitutes song. It knocks my head off in the same way that songs like "1-2-3 GO," "Twenty-Two," and "Living Wreck" did back in the day. This is raging, explosive punk rock from a true master craftsman of the form. From Pennsylvania to Ohio to Long Beach, California to Pennsylvania again to Baltimore to Ohio again with an ever-changing supporting cast, Kevin McGovern has kept The Prostitutes going strong for two-and-a-half decades plus. And now is the right time for him to close the book on this musical entity as he moves on to other things (most immediately the truly excellent Trouble Seekers). And so these last two tracks (recorded in 2020) complete a discography that includes two full-length albums, five 7" singles, 12 digital singles/EPs, and one un-released album. If you have somehow been living under a rock since 1996 and never experienced The Prostitutes, I can't recommend the Complete Recordings 1995-1998 compilation enough (in my book, Can't Teach Kids Responsibility is a top five 1990s punk rock LP). For those of you who are longtime fans, I assure you that you will find the last two to be a fitting swan song. Tonight I will drink to the storied legacy of The Prostitutes -- and to new beginnings for the force of nature that is Kevin McGovern!

-L.R.

https://theprostitutes1.bandcamp.com/album/the-last-two
https://www.instagram.com/tutespunk/
https://linktr.ee/TheProstitutes

Tina and the Total Babes - She's So Tuff (20th Anniversary Vinyl Release!)

Just a quick public service announcement: the 20th anniversary reissue of Tina and the Total Babes' classic album She's So Tuff is now available on the LP format! If you want to own one of the greatest power pop albums ever made on gorgeous 180-gram vinyl, hop on over to the Surfin' Ki Records webstore and order away! While supplies last, the album is available on black, gold, blue, clear orange, and clear yellow vinyl. You can also order a test press with a pink cover. Super-super-fans might want to spring for the full bundle: all six versions of the record for 89.99€! I know for my American friends, postage on this thing is gonna be murder. But man, what an incredibly cool release this is! This is perhaps THE most significant album of the modern power pop revival, and you know these LPs are gonna go fast. CD and digital are still available from Rum Bar Records!

-L.R.

http://surfinkirecords.bigcartel.com/product/tina-the-total-babes-she-s-so-tuff-lp-20th-anniversary-remastered-edition
http://surfinkirecords.bigcartel.com/product/tina-the-total-babes-she-s-so-tuff-lp-collector-bundle
https://www.facebook.com/surfinkirecords/
https://www.instagram.com/surfinkirecords/

Proton Packs/Zoanoids - Split 7"

If you're gonna do a split, this is the way to do it! Hey Pizza! Records, Mom's Basement Records, and I Buy Records have their united their superpowers and released a split 7" featuring two of the top pop-punk bands on the planet: Zoanoids and Proton Packs. Zoanoids out of Kalamazoo, Michigan took the pop-punk world by storm with their debut album in 2020. Here they return with two more top-notch tracks of gothic pop-punk. I'm usually not much of a death-punk guy, but I've got to admit that this band has pulled me to the dark side. When it comes to writing songs, executing a sound, and owning a distinctive style, Zoanoids are as good as it gets in this genre of music. A "feelgood" horror song sounds like a contradiction in terms, but "Cemetery Nights" is exactly that. What a smash! Italy's Proton Packs, the founding fathers of ecto-punk, have been standouts in the Euro pop-punk scene for 15 years plus. Their sci-fi/conspiracy theory brand of darkness is a little more up my alley. In any case, they make ideal partners for Zoanoids on this split. "Follow the Protocol" is more on the pop side of things and one of the catchiest tunes you'll hear all year. "The End of Everything" is textbook pop-punk done right. I imagine that any super-fan of modern-day pop-punk would already be familiar with both of these bands and probably own this record already. But if you've been living on a faraway planet or recently became undead, here are a couple of bands you really ought to check out. Vinyl copies on blood red and slimy green are going fast!

-L.R.

https://heypizzarecords.bandcamp.com/album/proton-packs-zoanoids-split-ep
https://ibuyrecords.bandcamp.com/album/ibr023-split
https://zoanoids.bandcamp.com/
https://protonpacks.bandcamp.com/
https://www.heypizzarecords.com/product/zoanoids-proton-packs-split-7/
https://www.ibuyrecords.it/prod/zoanoids-proton-packs-split-7/
https://momsbasementrecords.bigcartel.com/product/zoanoids-proton-packs-split-7-ep

Tenement Rats - Sods Law

Following three killer singles released 2016-18, Los Angeles punk trio Tenement Rats finally release their debut LP. And it's a doozy! Out now on No Front Teeth Records, Sods Law features ten tracks of snotty '77 punk rock that take inspiration from both sides of the Atlantic. This is what you'd call a vintage No Front Teeth release: a non-stop barrage of three-chord punk bangers full of attitude and aggression. No track surpasses two-and-half minutes, and song titles like "Decease and Exist," "Exterminator," and "Nerve Gas Love" give you a great idea of what to expect. This is old school punk rock in its rawest and most exciting form. As always, the lineup features Jonny Watkins on guitar & vocals and Shaun Clark on drums. Tsubasa Muratani from Rough Kids plays bass. Together these guys tear into these tunes with power and ferocity. If you have a soft spot for the more pummeling side of '77 punk rock, you need these filthy rodents in your life!

-L.R.

https://tenementrats.bandcamp.com/album/sods-law
https://www.facebook.com/tenementrats/
https://www.instagram.com/tenementrats/
https://www.nofrontteeth.co.uk/