For many of us, music is medicinal. It’s a way to escape the trials and tribulations of life by hiding in headphones. It’s cathartic. And for Wonk Unit’s Alex Johnson, it’s no different.
With the release of ‘Terror’, Wonk Unit’s sixth studio album, Johnson continues to use Wonk Unit as his medicine. As a recovering drug addict and alcoholic, it’s a distraction that keeps him sober. “Wonk Unit is my drink. All of my songs are my AA. I have to get these songs out of my soul. I’m writing for nobody else but me. I would be doing Wonk Unit even if nobody else cared.”
Given the context of their Christmas song, ‘Christmas In A Crackhouse’, we get a mere glimpse into the past he lived in. With the ring of Christmas bells, dark lyrics and a menacing bass line, the track sticks with you long after it’s finished. Torn between wishing to see his family and his loyalty to drugs, it’s certainly a contrast to the positivity of mainstream Christmas songs.
The album opens with the punchy ‘Day Job Wanker’. It’s short, sharp and laced with a cynicism we’ve come to expect from Wonk Unit.
That said, there’s a positivity to the record as a whole. With tracks like ‘Hope’ and ‘Safe Place’, respectively about trying to start a family and his love for his wife, it’s a step away from the usual direction we’ve seen from Johnson.
‘Thank You’ is a reggae-based appreciation for life and the environment. A definite sign that Johnson is in a better place with his sobriety. There’s an appropriate shout-out to previous tour supports The Skints and it seems Johnson has channelled their positivity into this track. These three songs provide a more upbeat, gentler tone and essence that’s sadly lacked from previous Wonk Unit albums.
‘As The Rest Of The World Sleeps’ is the standout. An ode to insomnia, it leaves an impression on the mind with the line: ‘as the rest of the world sleeps, a war rages in me’. The track captures the unbearable plight of not being able to sleep due to overthinking.
Closing the album is a reprise of ‘Christmas In The Crackhouse’. It’s a no-frills, fast-paced smash that adds a layer of grit to the original. And ‘Me And Curtis’ is the sort of Christmas song to drive your relatives out the house at the end of the night once all the mince pies are eater.
There’s a rugged charm to Johnson’s writing. It may not be as clever as Propaghandi or as pithy as Nofx, but it’s honest and true. They’re the working man’s punk. Grotty. Witty. Perfect.
ANDY JOICE