So I reviewed these Welsh boys about 18 months ago and fell for their hard hitting charms pretty much instantly. Although at times their NOFX-meets-Strung Out style was so fast it became a little sloppy, their breakneck speed and hard-hitting style just brought back so many memories of when bands played with passion and an intensity that seems to be lacking in many modern styles. ‘Proud As Punch’ is better recorded and better produced, and the slapdashness that littered the last record has been erased too, although I think this means the band have lost a little character – although not in a bad way.
Stupid Brick have certainly grown as musicians. The seven tracks on offer here are more considered and don’t just use the accelerator pedal for effect as they may have done on their earlier material. ‘Time Is Now’ is fast, but the band are more than capable at mixing it up and slowing things down when they need to, such as on ‘Where Did It All Go Wrong?’ The usual influences remain in place – the basslines are still reminiscent of NOFX even if the music has taken a darker and more twisted turn – and there’s certainly nods towards bands like Bigwig and Strung Out. It is a style of music that seems to have taken a back step in recent years, but hopefully more bands like Stupid Brick can prove fast drumming and loads of melodies can come to the fore in ’06.
www.stupidbrick.com
Exhume Records
Paul