With two fine independent record labels behind them (Sweden’s Burning Heart and our very own Household Name – HHN doing the honours by releasing TTP over here) and a strong following from their earlier releases, their new album deserves to put them in a very strong position. Jammed with punk rock goodness and catchy hooks, this is another example of HHN licensing some quality overseas talent for our general consumption.
If you like throaty, melodic street punk then Taste The Poison will come as a welcome addition to your collection. Stylistically it sticks close to familiar territory, with solid riffs and big choruses bolstered by a real sense of energy and zest, and while there’s nothing fantastically innovatory about TTP it does represent a good example of the genre. Perhaps the best compliment I can pay is to say that even though it’s not going to change the world, at no point does it feel hackneyed or as if they’re just knocking off thirteen songs as quickly as possible.
So while Taste The Poison has some standout tracks on it, like blistering opener ‘Callousness’ and ‘Stranglehold’, it doesn’t quite manage to push the boat out far enough to be truly essential. If you’re a Surfers fan, or if you like old-fashioned punk rock then it would be extremely foolish to let this pass by. But its not the most thrilling album HHN has ever released, and might not win them that many new admirers.
Ben
www.satanic-surfers.com
www.householdnamerecords.co.uk