Continuing the tradition of ska punk bands having bad puns for their names are Perth, Australia's The Donald Trumpets. Forming in January 2017 as a way to release their frustrations about all that is wrong with the world, the six piece quickly earned a reputation as a political ska band that will really get you partying. In February this year, The Donald Trumpets released their debut EP Waterboarding At Guantanamo Bay. I'm always eager to check out new ska bands so I enthusiastically sat down ready to review these five songs.
The EP begins with the song Bummerfest. The song starts out slowly with Peter Riggs' guitar welcoming us in before the rest of the band, including a three piece brass section, come in. Soon enough the vocals start and we are treated to a couple of verses talking about how we're spied on through our computers with all the data collected about us being stored in warehouses until you die(!). Around the halfway mark the tempo is upped and The Donald Trumpets get you skanking away whilst continuing to make you think about this current social climate. This song is such a great way to introduce you to the band. Up next is the sing along Coping Mechanisms. Starting out by shouting out the chorus of "wake up, get sad, get drunk, throw up" you instantly learn the chorus to this party ska song that's about drinking to keep away the horrible demons in your mind. As many ska punk bands do, here's a really cheerful sounding song about a topic that's really quite sad. The sense of catharsis in this is always clear though and I'm sure there are plenty of folk who will relate and will hopefully feel better after hearing this song and having a sing and a skank.
When I saw the title of the third song, Guys I'm Syrias, I immediately had a little chuckle. This political track begins with a sound bite of a man passionately stating he wants to overthrow the current system. Then the song starts proper and we're greeted with a bouncy ska punk tune that again will have you dancing and thinking. When the chorus begins we get a crunchier punk sound that really helps drive home the message the band are trying to put out. The penultimate song on the EP is named The More You Know. Again starting out slowly with an acoustic ska jam, things soon progress with the sound getting bigger and the tempo increasing quickly. The contrast in sound at the beginning and the end helps the song to stand out and show a different side of The Donald Trumpets sound. The multiple vocalists in the opening section make the stripped back section sound even bigger. When it's time to pick up the tempo it's like a flick of the switch and, just like that, it's crazy ska mosh pit time. Waterboarding At Guantanamo Bay finishes with Beer Party. You've just read the title so I'm pretty sure you can work out what the song is about – having a beer party. It's ridiculous fun and guaranteed to put a smile on your face. The chorus, "whoa-oh, having a beer party", is likely to take residence in your head whether you like it or not and it will rattle around in there for a long time – you better get used to it. Such a fun way to finish the EP.
This EP is golden. Making me think of ska legends Mustard Plug and The Planet Smashers without ripping them off in the slightest, The Donald Trumpets are a band with a very bright future ahead of them. I don't know much about the Australian ska punk scene but on the strength of this release I'm very keen to check it out. If the bands are half as good as The Donald Trumpets then it must be a very special scene.
Stream and download Waterboarding At Guantanamo Bay here: https://thedonaldtrumpets.bandcamp.com/album/waterboarding-at-guantanamo-bay-2
Like The Donald Trumpets here: https://www.facebook.com/TheDonaldTrumpets/
This review was written by Colin Clark.
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