Recent Fat Wreck signing Night Birds’ latest EP ‘Maimed For The Masses’ will put the band’s dirty brand of surf punk in front of a lot of news ears, and with Dead Kennedys and Ceremony blending with early Offspring and Bad Religion in the band’s fairly old school sound and production, it’ll appeal to a certain kind of punk fan.
The title track bursts the EP in to life without so much as an easing in, and you’d be forgiven to think the record was released 20 years ago across most of its four brief tracks. This sort of punk rock – landing somewhere between skate and surf punk – is gloriously niche at the moment, and though it’ll send a few untrained ears reaching for the off button, it’s got exactly the kind of reckless “give a shit” air about it that will have others reaching for the nearest guitar to make some noise.
There’s not a huge amount of ground breaking going on with ‘Maimed By The Masses’, but that’s really not the point anyway. The choruses are great, and Night Birds are intent on playing louder, faster and harder than most of their contemporaries. That’s pretty much all the important boxes ticked, so turn it up fucking loud and enjoy a brief yet pleasurable encounter with Fat’s latest offering.
TOM AYLOTT