For a plainly recorded ska punk demo/EP from a relatively unheard of band (surely this spells disaster I hear you cry!) this really is good stuff. When the first song off of this EP kicked in I feared this was a band made up of old gits who play bog standard pub ska-punk, but this was just the versatility of vocalist Brownie’s voice. One minute he’s singing like an old man from a punk band a long time ago, the next he’s screeching like Stza from Leftover Crack, and then he’s calling you to action like Jessie Michaels did so well in Operation Ivy.
The music flits between ska, hardcore and punk so easily, and doesn’t limit itself to pop song structures heard too many times before. Every song is packed with energy like all good ska-punk should be, and these five songs here are over before you know it. The first track, ‘Feeling Alright’ will, as the ska-punk cliché goes, slap a smile on your face and have you singing along to the instantly memorable lyrics and melodies. The next four tracks continue with the same theme, with fourth track ‘Archie Brennan’ being a homage to a dog, in the good old ska-punk style of songs about pets (maybe this started with Sublime‘s references to Lou?).
Finishing off the EP in style is ‘Lunatics’, with its memorable refrain of ‘Fuck Money, Fuck Fame, It’s all about the skull behind our name’, which seems to be the band’s motto, adorning the entrance of their website. Throughout the EP, the musicianship is skilled and tight, and although the production isn’t great, there’s still a lot of energy that comes through from the performance. As it is with ska-punk at the moment (in particular the British kind), fame and fortune isn’t likely, but they’re well aware of this (“not everybody want’s to be a fucking superstar… we’re not writing for your radio, your labels or your love†– ‘Lunatics’). But if you ever see this band playing anywhere near you, I’d highly recommend checking them out, as I’m sure you’ll have a great time. And if it works out well for the band, they should be getting a lot more exposure in the UK underground ska/punk scenes, and some high profile support slots.
http://www.cpt-phallus.tk
Ben Gosling