Corner Boys - "Just Don't Care"

Holy smokes, do I have a banger for you today! Back in March, I identified Corner Boys as a band of considerable promise based on their demo tape. Little did I know that Drunken Sailor Records was already on the case, and today we have an official release from this formidable Vancouver trio. It's a knockout debut and quite possibly the best punk EP I've heard all year.

With me having spent a great deal of my career touting bands that do newer versions of '70s punk, there was just no question that Corner Boys were my kind of group. But honestly, Corner Boys sound less like a 2017 update of Canadian powerpop/punk circa 1979 and more like the genuine article. Listening to this EP, I'm half-convinced that it really was recorded in 1979! There's just something about the production and the tone of the vocals that brings to mind the likes of Pointed Sticks and Young Canadians - or even Irish counterparts like Undertones and Rudi. This is punk rock just the way I like it: charmingly unpolished and brimming with youthful energy, but still chock full of hooks. Each of these three tracks could have been an A-side in its own right. The highest compliment I can pay to "Joke of the Neighborhood" is that I thought it had to be a cover when I heard it on the demo. It sounds that much like a long-lost classic. So if it seems well-positioned as the third track on this EP, that tells you how good the other two songs are! On any given day, I'd say that "Just Don't Care" is the clear "hit". And then on the next day, I'd change my mind and go with "Be Seeing You"!

"Just Don't Care" is a darn near perfect punk record. I love the sound, I love the energy, and I love the songs. Corner Boys are my favorite new band of the year by far!



-L.R.

https://drunkensailorrecords.bandcamp.com/album/just-dont-care-7 
https://cornerboys.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/CornerBoysBC/
https://www.facebook.com/DrunkenSailorRecords