Album Review: Pit Stop Punk Rock by Hateful Monday

Hateful Monday are a skate punk band from Switzerland. I first became a aware of them in 2017 when I reviewed their full length album Unfrightened. Now in their 21st year as a band, Hateful Monday released a new EP in September named Pit Stop Punk Rock.

The EP begins with The Road. Beginning with some fast riffing guitars and some rapid drums, it's clear from out outset how unashamedly skate punk Hateful Monday are. When the band’s lead singer Seb comes in I'm quickly impressed by his vocals. There's passion and melody in every word he sings. You know that he really believes in what he's singing about. On this occasion it's about life as a touring band, absorbing everything you encounter and sharing those brilliant experiences with your friends and family. Basically it's about living life to the fullest because you never know what might happen. Up next is Vault Of No Heaven. This is a slower track about relying on medication to help get you through the dark times that are happening in your life. I enjoyed how they lowered the pace on the song, it helps you connect with the track more. When the chorus hits, particularly the final one which they build up to nicely, they have you itching to sing it at the top of your lungs.

The End Is Near is a song about how we're quickly killing our planet and how we have no-one to blame but ourselves. The tempo is brought back up and there is also some added aggression that wasn't featured in the opening two songs. This is very appropriate given the subject of the track. The chorus feels like a real protest movement moment. I can just imagine a crowd of people screaming "THE END IS NEAR" in unison with the band, making a very powerful statement. The final track, also titled Pit Stop Punk Rock, begins with an audio clip from Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby where Ricky is told that it's not important to always come first. The song is a gentle acoustic number about living your life as a punk rocker, living life fast but without any general direction. It sounds like a bit of a negative thing but the way in which the song is performed feels as if Seb sings of this life with joy – and so he should.

If you're new to Hateful Monday then this EP is a great place to start before working your way back through their impressive back catalogue. It's reasonably varied and gives you a great idea of what to expect from Hateful Monday. Introspective skate punk.

Stream and download Pit Stop Punk Rock here: https://hatefulmonday.bandcamp.com/album/pit-stop-punk-rock

Like Hateful Monday here: https://www.facebook.com/hatefulmonday/

This review was written by Colin Clark.