Household name is still probably the epitomy of UK punk rock in my opinion, and I’m sure a lot of people would agree with me. They are prone to licensing foreign stuff, which is always nice to see – it’s a risky business sometimes and taks a lot of guts. This time they have licensed Ohio’s Two Cow Garage. The band have just put out their 4th record in the USA, but this is their third album and, I would have thought, the first most people in the UK know anything about.
It’s quite a departure for HHN I think, this one. It’s dirty Americana, but not in the sort of Against Me! kind of way. It’s slow, driving stuff. The band’s American label, Suburban Home, reckon they band are for fans of Lucero and Tim Barry, but they are probably not that similar to anything I’ve heard since the 90s. They have a bit of Mudhoney about them to my untrained ear. They seem like one of those bands who have probably ignored every passing trend, and just stick to straight up rock. Which you really have to respect.
I don’t think this is a masterpiece, and I keep hoping for a galloping double time drum beat or something a bit more Billy Bragg, but this is a solid rock album. Give it a try, you will either love it or treat it with indifference. Either way, it won’t offend you, I guarantee it.
Mike