The Putz - Shut Up!

In my book, The Putz is one of the best pop-punk bands out there. It's been a while since The Indiana trio's last release, the phenomenal Mad Monster Party EP. Billy, Patrick, and Dougie have done us all a solid and made their new EP available as a free download over at Bandcamp. In terms of the pop-punk fan base, Shut Up! has a little something for everyone. It leads off with the upbeat "One and Only", a feelgood love song made even brighter by Cassie Oh's jubilant keyboard contributions. This is my favorite track of the bunch - which is no surprise given the way I lean to the pop side of pop-punk equation. "Suit and Tie" is quintessential buzzsaw pop-punk that reflects on the importance of not wasting your life on soul-crushing endeavors. That seems like a very timely message at the moment. At just 73 seconds, it gets the job done with zero excess. "Shut Up, Kory" is bang-on snotty punk in the Screeching Weasel/Queers vein - something The Putz always does exceptionally well. And of course you know "Swallow My Pride". Sure, you could argue that covering the Ramones is a tall order since it's literally impossible to top the original. But honest to goodness, The Putz do a really cool and satisfying version of a classic here. When I finished listening to this EP and took off my headphones, I shouted "That was fun!" - which I suppose would have been perfectly acceptable behavior if there had actually been another person in the room. But that pretty much sums up this record. It's a blast! Shut Up! reminds me of the days when I would run to the mailbox in hopes that a new 7" from Mutant Pop Records had arrived. If you love pop-punk, this EP will be an absolute treat. And if you don't like pop-punk, there's no way in the world you've read this far! Where did I put my leather jacket?



-L.R.

https://theputz.bandcamp.com/album/shut-up 
https://www.facebook.com/theputzrock/