The Butts are a five piece pop punk band from Austin, Texas. Back in June they put out a brand new EP named Nightmare At Area 51 which is their third release. Of course, the band first caught my attention due to their childish name but I also loved the sci-fi B-movie artwork used for the EP. Describing themselves as playing "catchy punk songs with hilarious and depressing lyrics" that "you'll laugh, cry, and dance all at the same time," this is something I knew I would enjoy.
Nightmare At Area 51 begins with an introduction track named Case File: A51-Batx which is a spoof on a dictaphone recording talking about a UFO crash in Texas. This leads into the opening song, the EP's title track, Nightmare At Area 51. It starts with an intro of bass player Kevy Bergman beautifully singing about the band’s van breaking down, an alien spacecraft appearing and a trip to Area 51. From there the song really kicks into a fast paced pop punk banger as The Butts lead vocalist Kurt Koegler comes in and quickly sings about the band’s experiences at Area 51 including the dreaded anal probes. The song is kind of silly but a whole lot of fun! Up next is Coke Fiend Club. It's a bouncy and rowdy affair immediately as The Butts storm through the song with drummer Jimmy Sefcik laying down a rapid fire drum beat for the rest of the band to try and keep up with. The track is about being addicted to cocaine and how it might be a lot fun but it will also ruin your life. The fourth track on The EP is Down You Go. The song actually starts out a bit slower than the previous tracks but soon picks up speed. I loved the way that the track mixes big crunching dramatic guitar parts with fast and furious pop punk, this really sets the tone for the seriousness of the song. On Down You Go, The Butts tell of someone's fall from grace, starting as the goldenboy before lots of revelations about some horrible things they've done are revealed. Lyrically it's actually pretty difficult to listen to but it's still a great song.
Alex Jones Is One Of Them is the first time on Nightmare At Area 51 where Kevy and Kurt really share lead vocals and it adds so much to The Butts’ sound. There is already plenty of energy throughout the EP but the switching of vocalists brings it to a new level as it just creates a feeling of inclusiveness for anyone listening. I had to do a little bit of research as to who exactly Alex Jones was as I assumed it wasn't the Welsh lady who presents The One Show on the BBC. The song is, in fact, about the American radio host and conspiracy theorist who The Butts believe is so corrupt he must be an alien. The penultimate track on Nightmare At Area 51 is named Gnarly Trash. This is one of those songs that does that wonderful thing of sounding extremely upbeat but when you read the lyrics they're actually pretty sad. The melody will ensure you'll be singing or at least humming along after just a couple of listens, it kind of reminds me of Come O Ye Faithful or the end of Lagwagon's Razor Burn. The song is about the dissolution of a friendship because of someone in the scene being selfish and only thinking about themselves/their band. The seventh and final song on the EP is Zombies Ate My Girlfriend. This is a more humorous song about, as the title suggests, your girlfriend being eaten by a zombie. It's all a bit silly and tongue-in-cheek but it put a big smile on my face and quickly became lodged in my mind. Music doesn't always have to be serious and have a powerful message, this is a great example of that.
Nightmare At Area 51 is exactly how The Butts’ describe themselves – catchy pop punk with hilarious and depressing lyrics. If you're new to the band but love fun punk rock that doesn't take itself too seriously, something I think we all need in our lives, then this EP could be for you. Give it a chance, check it out.
Stream and download Nightmare At Area 51 here: https://thebutts.bandcamp.com/
Like The Butts here: https://www.facebook.com/thebuttsatx/
This review was written by Colin Clark.
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