Album Review: All We Could Afford by The Strikeouts (by Brett Coomer)

The Strikeouts is a punk rock band from Sweden made up of 5 guys who like punk rock. They have a cool logo and have recently released an EP called All We Could Afford. That’s about as much information I was able to find from the Internet about them but that’s OK, the 7 songs on this EP speak for themselves and offer a great introduction to the band.

The opening track and first single, ‘Fake News’, is about the inauthentic “influencers” that seem to dominate social media with their obvious bias and paid-for opinions. The hard-hitting drums and catchy chorus make ‘Fake News’ a great example of what to expect from the rest of the EP.

At first, ‘Somethings Gotta Give’ feels more light-hearted in its lyrics; but, after listening closely, the song reveals a desire to be less cynical in a world full of things you hate and to find a different perspective. It’s one of the more pop-punky tracks on the EP, although it doesn’t stray too far outside of the skate punk lane by including a few lead guitar riffs and featuring a pogo-worthy breakdown around the half-way mark.

‘Breaking Point’ turns the energy levels up again, speeding things up a bit to get our heads bobbing and testing the rhythm-challenged amongst us to tap our foot faster while staying in time. The background “woah-woah”s and “how much more”s throughout the song make me think this would be a great song for crowd participation. The energy level is maintained with track four, ‘Slammed’, which reminds me of the best parts of Pennywise. I can easily imagine the bassist asking for the Randy Bradbury “Full Circle” settings before pressing record in the studio.

‘This Goddamn Generation’ is the second single and another song that tends towards a more pop-punk influence. It has a super catchy chorus with a great melody and a message about how newer generations are sometimes unfairly criticised without the understanding that they are not only influenced by the world around them but also the earlier generations that brought them up.

For a slight change of pace, ‘Intimidate Me’ offers some variation with cleaner and groove-laden verses moving into heavier double-time choruses. The mid-tempo parts of the song never feel out of place and show that the band is capable of crafting a song with dynamics that harken back to the likes of Rise Against.

The last track, ‘Flat Earth Anthem’, starts off with drums and guitar riffs that feel like they could be outtakes from Strung Out’s early catalogue. It’s the shortest song and is fun and fast with a big ending. It’s a great way to conclude the EP, making you want to click that repeat button and start again.

Throughout All We Could Afford, The Strikeouts make no attempt to hide their leanings toward melodic skate punk with a few pop-punk and technical flourishes added in to keep things fresh. They execute it really well and the nods to the “EpiFat” 90s era punk offers comfortable feelings of nostalgia and makes for a very enjoyable listen. If you’re a fan of bands like FOD, Mute, Rise Against or the non-frat aspect of Pennywise, you will have blast listening to this EP, which I hope is a taste of more to come from The Strikeouts.

Stream All We Could Afford from these places and like The Strikeouts on Facebook here.

This review was written by Brett Coomer.