The Control Freaks - "No Action"/"Don't Mess With Jessica"

It pretty much goes without saying that The Control Freaks are the best thing to happen to garage punk music in a long time. The band's debut album on Slovenly was absolutely the instant classic I expected it to be. If you don't have it yet, go get it! If you do have it and crave more, The Control Freaks have followed up with a double shot of new singles on Bachelor Record Company. Of course this shit is hot, and it's all previously unreleased!

I think it has to be intentional that The Control Freaks' initial releases have been with two of the labels most responsible for keeping real garage-punk alive in the 2010s. If you go to order the new singles from the Bachelor store, you'll see a totally spot-on rant about what most people think "garage punk" is in 2017 versus what it meant in the '90s. That line about Ty Segall made me laugh so hard that I almost snorted unsweetened tea through my nose. The Control Freaks are the genuine article, and both of these singles are essential additions to the catalog of Greg Lowery fronted bands. "No Action" throws it all the way back to the budget rock stylings of Supercharger. It's catchy and rockin' without going overboard on the tempo. What a banger! I will not judge you if you decide to call in sick and play the song on repeat all morning. It's definitely the kind of tune that will make you wanna dance around the house in your underwear. Once you're finally ready to flip the record, a robust version of Protex's "I Can Only Dream" awaits on the B-side.

The second of the two singles is called "Don't Mess With Jessica". Again, this is a perfect example of garage punk the way it ought to be. Right down to the primal three-chord thumping and exuberant co-ed vocals, this could legitimately pass for a long-lost Rip Off Records track circa the mid-to-late '90s. Once you make it through this song, you will have abandoned any lingering temptations to mess with Jessica. And how about another cover from the heyday of punk/powerpop? The Control Freaks have at The Rousers' "Rock N Roll or Run", and I have a feeling thay a lot of people will now be heading off in search of the original.

So I guess you could be a cheap skate and buy one of these two singles based on which A-side you like better. But come on. It's The Control Freaks. Buy both and listen often! Make garage punk trashy again!


-L.R.

http://shop.bachelorrecords.com/ControlFreaksNoAction 
http://shop.bachelorrecords.com/ControlFreaksJessica 
https://www.facebook.com/ControlFreaksSF/ 
https://www.facebook.com/bachelorrecords/