Ignoring the fact that these fellas look like they’d hit me in the face with a brick if I insulted them in any way, the debut offering from Leeds youngsters Guns on the Roof isn’t half bad. With lazy comparisons we can say they have a sound akin to any number of old school punk rock bands, with dashes and hints of The Lawrence Arms and Green Day here and there for good measure. Whilst lyrically it isn’t what would be called spectacular, it certainly fits the style no end – and any song that finishes with the lyric: “What do you want from me? You stupid cunt” certainly raises a smile on this end.
‘Pure Punk Rock Therapy’ isn’t groundbreaking in any way and it offers nothing different to the punk rock genre, but what the band do they do well enough. There is always room for improvement and a band with members as young as these guys will surely develop their style and grow with time – the catchy tunes are there and there are more than plenty singalong moments, it just can’t escape the fact that it’s a resoundingly simple album in most respects. Tracks like ‘Going All The Way’ and ‘Follow Me’ are straightforward, but just as much fun as any offerings from GotR’s contemporaries. Though ‘No Regrets’ may as well just be a Green Day track, to be fair.
Ah well – at least it isn’t neo-post-apocalyptic-mega-hard-ultra-core, or whatever’s the flavour of this week.
www.gunsontheroof.com
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