Let’s briefly jump back in time to 2020 when I picked up on this band due to Ryan Young’s (Off With Their Heads) involvement with their album Space. I believe that was their debut recording although they had been around a few years before at that point so I may be incorrect. It is a worthy set of eleven songs in the pop punk space with more synthesizers than you might expect…but it works really well. A few highlights off that album are “Canned” and “You Should Know.” It is still available for digital purchase on their Bandcamp page. Since then they have released a series of singles including a groovy cover of “Major Tom” (Peter Shilling) and an EP called Come Home (check out the title track which is a full-power loud guitars and hammering drums rocker.)
This new EP has five songs that lead off with “Fool’s Gold” which has a great guitar intro that sets up the power vibe for the track. It settles down in a few places but always returns to that pulsing guitar and a heavy rhythm groove. That is followed by “Stare at the Sun” and “Anymore” which are good power pop tracks that have some interesting lyrics. A change of pace happens with “Dirge (If You Survive)” a song that does have a funeral feeling to it but one played at high volume and with a lot of distortion. It is a pretty darn good listen if you ask me. The final track is “Offer What You May” which is a spare, quiet song that is short, to the point and a good end cap for this EP.
Overall, this album is a really good follow up to Come Home and worth picking up for your collection!
This band’s 2018 full LP release Splatter is now out on vinyl for the first time – unfortunately both limited runs of 100 have already sold out…but maybe the label (Quiet Panic) will gift us with another release?
The first track off of that album (“Flesh”) has also been remastered and is out as a single with the b-side being a nice acoustic take on “Hit the Ground” which can be found on their 2021 album Underneath the Shade.
I thought “Flesh” was great when I first heard it back when it was originally released and this remastered version gives it just a little more lightness than the original. It also has a cleaner edge to some of the sound without taking away from the gritty, booming texture that makes it such a good song.
If you get a chance to listen to the Shade version of “Hit the Ground” you will hear a track with quite a bit of frontal distortion and a slightly discordant melody popping up occasionally in the background. It is a song with a loud, tragic story and the music matches that vibe. The acoustic take on the b-side of this release takes a different approach, smoothing out the sound and delivering the same story with a more reflective and soft tone. The edginess is gone but still hits home. The two songs here are also good counterpoints to each other in style and composition.
Check it out on your favorite streaming channel (link below) – and let me know your thoughts about it – music makes for good conversation 🙂
Some bands really do just keep on being able to being energy, power and great sound to their music and Horace Pinker has been proving that for quite awhile now. Being able to preview their new album (it will be out by the time you read this) was very cool and much appreciation to Mike Cubillos at Earshot Media for that opportunity.
Way back in 1995 I had heard most of what I believe was their first full length album Powertools. I later picked it up myself and songs like “Punker than GBH” (which includes a rolling name check of some great bands including MC5, TSOL and etc) and “No Thoughts” became regular parts of my rotation.
They have released a bunch of music since then with Copper Regret and House of Cards being favorites of mine. You can check out their Bandcamp page to sample some of those other songs.
Now and the Future (brought to you by the great People of Punk Rock Records) has ten songs that all bring volume and energy, representing three musicians who are fully in the groove with their music and each other. I chose “Call It a Day” (the lead track on the album) for this review because it really caught my attention right away, which I guess means it works well as a #1 track! Buzzy guitars and drums lead off with a pulsing bass line riding over the top and that spirit continues through the entire song. In the press release Horace Pinker describe it quite well themselves, saying that it:
“refines melodic punk and hardcore influences into a two-and-half minute blast of sonic energy”
If you want to give this song a listen you can check it here:
Musicians on this are: Scott Eastman (guitar, vocals), Bryan Jones (drums) and Greg Mytych (bass, vocals).
You can order the album here (and the vinyl looks pretty darn cool) along with some other HP swag and merchandise:
In case anyone wants a random mission…I give you this. Showoff has a very good early album (it might have been their first?) called “Around the Corner Fudge is Made” (and no, I have no idea what that is all about) that was on cassette. I at least never saw it in any other format. If you are picking your way through any random sale bins out there and see it…pick it up and shoot me a message – I’ll be happy to pay up to get it. They came across my radar back in the last 90’s when they were on tour with Goldfinger…which seems like a really long time ago.
Their last release that I knew of was “Midwest Side Story” but I learned in checking things out while I was writing this that they also released a single (“Bitter Pill”) in 2023. The lineup has evolved along the way and now consists of Chris Envy, Evan Thorne, Mickey Molinari, Steve Envy and Brian Steinseifer. This new album on Manic Kat Records just dropped recently and after giving it a listen I can say…they can still bring it! Their energy is still very present and the sounds are good!
They recently released a video for “Crimson”, the first track on this album and you can check that out below. Personally though my favorite song is “Get Home” which opens on vocals and thumping rhythm. The chorus develops into a great sound mix with guitars punching through nicely. This track stays driving and energetic all the way through to the end.
Check out that “Crimson video here:
Easy streaming link for the album here:
If you go out and give “Get Home” or any (or all!) parts of this album a listen…think about purchasing it if you can as steaming music does not pay well even times a thousand.
Some bands…with some songs… just have the ability to bring you some good old nostalgic vibes and feelings.. That is exactly what happened when I hit play on this recent release from The Copyrights. Just try it out for yourself and you will know what I mean.
This track opens nicely with some heavy drums that spring open into a great opening lyric “Joy, I need to drag you down, it feels like its been so long since we’ve had it out.” The guitar distortion really sets the mood for this song and is offset nicely by the punchy bass line…and it all goes out on a nice noisy build that abruptly cuts off…very cool.
What can I say…give me some great saxophone and I am hooked from go.
This track is their take on a Mulgrew Miller original from an album of the same name released in 1987. I really enjoy the way the saxophone comes right in at the beginning and maintains a place near the front for the first half of this composition. It has a slight edge of the frantic about it (to me anyway). The piano section that starts around the 1:40 mark is a nice counterpoint, a little less edgy but not lulling anyone to sleep for sure. An engaging drum solo clears the palate for about thirty seconds and then everyone comes back together to finish this track out. The clarity of the individual moments on this song, combined with the great skill of the musicians together, really make for a good musical memory:)
Seeing an up-and-coming band start to get their music out into the universe again is always a special moment. This band popped up a few years ago with their debut EP Home and then faded a bit (although maybe not in their local area…could have just been out of my view). Anyway, back then I thought they had a good foundation to build on and this new album, which was released December 16th, builds on that for sure. They were a little bit angsty on that debut EP (not a crime…just a function of age 🙂 and have grown a bit since that time.
I selected this song because I find it to be an outlier in terms of their general sound which usually rides comfortably in the pop punk lane. This track has more of a gravely tone & groove to it. It opens with a rock-styled drum and guitar section and maintains that throughout with the vocals being a little more toward the punk side of things. Overall, this is a well done, fast-paced song, direct and to the point at 2:49 in length.
Hey! Great news for me (and hopefully some of you) as there is a new Off With Their Heads release just out this week 🙂
I selected this track (which leads off the album) as it is such a good example of the great music this band puts together every time to surround the raw emotions of Ryan Young’s lyrics. This song comes in lightly on some guitars and a simple drum beat that provides an effective foundation for the moment when Ryan comes in with that raspy and powerful voice. I always tell people when you want sincerity in your song lyrics…just listen to OWTH. And a special high five moment for the slightly odd way this track goes out…you will have to listen to it yourself and see what you think.
If you have the inclination, this entire album is really good and definitely worth a purchase.
Song Review -DEHD “Stars” from the album Blue Skies
What can I say…I love this band and have been a fan for awhile. I had previously heard “Bad Love” off this album which I believe was an early release on Bandcamp. Having just checked back in and saw this entire album was available I had to jump at the chance to review one song 🙂
This track (and the album as a whole) is a very familiar DEHD song in all of the best ways…slightly eccentric guitar & smooth vocals from Jason Balla, simple & poignant rhythm from Eric McGrady and bellicose vocals & bass from Emily Kempf. Listening to this song puts you in the mood to break out into a hypnotic dance groove.
Sometimes I pause as I am flipping through my music collection, whether it be vinyls, CD’s, digital, etc and have the lucky pleasure of being reminded of a past sonic discovery. My most recent happy moment came after I loaded “all songs” in my digital library and then flicked a finger across my trackpad several times, letting the selections scroll past like slot machine symbols. The screen landed squarely on DEHD’s releases and most particularly their 2019 release “Water.” So yes, we are going back in time for this one even though they do have a more recent, and very fine release, called “Flowers of Devotion.” Backwards to a good memory…
The first time I heard a song off of this record it was “On My Side” and that song has remained a regular visitor to my listening experience, mostly via inclusion on several playlists. It has a warm, familiar feeling when I hear it, one of those fuzzy songs from the past. Even the disconcerting delivery of the lyric “time is on my side,”…works perfectly within the tonal structure of this track. I have also often found myself thinking that this song would somehow have fit in perfectly on the “Pretty in Pink” soundtrack or maybe even “Sid & Nancy”…dated references I know but let me know what you think?
Jumping back to the first track of the album, it leads off with “Wild,” a simple word that is conveyed repeatedly through the song over a demanding, almost breathless drum beat. Next up is “Lucky,” which has a simple, clean start with a nice melody and a notable, and I think very effective, vocal change at the end ….”I long to be, I long to be, I long to be lucky.”
The next track starts very abruptly and features one of my favorite lyrics from this album, “never looking back, oh my baby, a heart attack waits for me when I dream of days past.” That is just good writing if you ask me; stark, clear and evocative. I also like the way the lyrical lines are layered over the guitars ..it is messy but really good.
This is followed by “Do You” and then “Wait,” which has a unique combination of styles and swaying rhythms. The punchy guitar on this one does the job of accentuating the lyrics very well. The vocal differences also play off each other effectively in this composition. The next track is “On My Side” (already discussed) and then “Sunbeat,” which has a cacophony of sounds that mix with a singular drum beat…and works so well in some odd, unexplainable way.
Coming up next on this album is “Push the Crowd,” which has a happy-toned beat that is hiding a darker message. There is also a secondary lyric that knocks around in the background, part of the time in sync with the main lyric and at other times different. I have never quite puzzled out the entirety of that secondary piece which leaves me feeling a little short of understanding. An ongoing mission for the future I guess…
The next three songs are; “Love Calls” (which is the only miss on this release for me as it seems detached and something with which I could not find a connection), “Lake” (I love the guitar in this one), and “Happy Again” (the second song I ever heard by DEHD and one that I believe is a great example of the style and sound for this band).
The next track is my favorite on this record. “Long Way Home” has a bit of the Blasters wrapped up in it (especially in the guitar sound) and is stylistically different from the other songs on “Water”.” The album then finishes up with the eponymous track which is classic DEHD and conveys that special combination of comfort and discord that for me is the foundation of what makes them unique. Those two effects come in waves throughout the song as it switches tone and the simple drum underneath holds all of it together.
Overall, the is a great record and continues to have an impression on me much the same as it did when I first heard it – no one sounds like this band. Their songs are mostly short, direct and have a tone and atmosphere that belongs solely to DEHD.
jack mesenbourg 