You Don’t Have To Be A Cunt comes next. I hate the c-word but I couldn’t help but smile when I listened to it. I don’t want to say lyrical genius because that would be silly but the level of word play here is pretty impressive. Definitely not what I was expecting when I first read the title of the song. The track is about being a good person and not a bad person. It’s that simple. I enjoyed the vocal trade offs during the song. It’s fast and has so much energy. Loved it. Next is Good Little Taxpayer. This sees the band step into the world of politics. All of the bouncy fun that was on the first four tracks on the album are gone. This is Flangipanis at their most serious. It’s about all of the wrong doing that governments are doing (I’m sure the band are talking in particular about the Australian government but it certainly works for the UK’s as well) and encourages people to make a stand against them. It’s nice to see the band branch out and write a song about this topic. Worthless is a Flangipanis love song. It’s about not feeling like you have any worth but it’s okay when you’re with someone that you love.
The seventh song on Fuckin’ Woo is named Faking It. This is a ferocious punk rock song with the vocals being jam packed with venom. The song is less than ninety seconds long and is relentless. The use of the second vocalist once again adds to the energy of the song and it also adds some aggression which works really well. This is one of those songs that will really get a mosh pit amped up when the band play it live. Clothes was one of the stand out songs when I first listened to the album. Not only is it ridiculously catchy but it also feels extremely important. It’s about how Jodie used to love taking her clothes off at shows but had to stop because of men being creepy perverts. Jodie goes on to call out those men on the song. I feels like a big feminist anthem. If women want to take their clothes off at shows, they should be able to without men making unwanted sexual advances. Train Ciggie is another short, hard and fast song. It’s simply about not liking when people try and smoke on trains or when people try and spark up conversation. I’m with the band on both of these points. Writing this review I’ve learnt that durrie is an Australian slang word for cigarette – there’s a fun fact for you, for reading this far. The song is finished with a shift in melody where the band slow things down and have a group sing-along of “train ciggie, train ciggie, ciggie on a train.”
Skate sees bass player Paul take over lead vocal duties as Flangipanis skank into the realm of ska punk. This was another stand out and not just because my love of ska punk music. The track tells a story of a love of skateboarding and how when you were younger you would spend all of your free time doing this thing you love with your friends. The lyrics in the song create such a visual story, I’m surprised to see the band haven’t yet made a video for the song. Moving Out is an interesting song as the lyrics for the song were all taken from freepunklyrics.tumblr.com which is a blog that began by two friends writing super clichéd punk lyrics. As I’m listening to the song for a fifth time whilst reviewing it, I think I can also hear the riff from The Offspring’s Self Esteem but I may have just convinced myself in my head – have a listen and decide for yourself. The twelfth song on Fuckin’ Woo is Snacks At The Bar and it’s Jodie’s turn at a ska song. Flanigpanis are joined by the brass section of Blowhard for the song. When I first listened to the album, I was not expecting ska and I certainly wasn’t expecting a four piece horn section to appear and it’s a very welcome surprise. The song is about going out, trying to impress someone and making sure to remember the snacks at the bar. Both verses in the track will have you getting your knees up and having a wonderful time skanking away.
Asshole Aunt is a song about Jodie being a terrible aunt. Throughout the song they list all the reasons that they should not be a role model for the child and it’s equal parts terrifying and hilarious. This is one of those times where Jodie shows what a good lyricist they are even if the song is pretty vulgar. If you have a dark sense of humour then this is a song for you. Not all songs have to change the world and make you think. Sometime you just want to be amused and smile and Asshole Aunt does that for me. The penultimate song on Fuckin’ Woo is titled Perfectly Average. This track talks about being just one of the seven billion people on the planet and constantly feeling as if you’re not making any progress in your life but trying to make the best of it. There’s a nice positive feeling that comes from the song that gives me a great vibes. The fifteenth and final song on the album is Small Talk. I’m big on albums finishing with a bang, especially if they have a lot of tracks like Fuckin’ Woo does and Flangipanis deliver here. The final song is the party that I suspect Flangipanis always bring when they play live. The song starts slowly but quickly shifts into top gear as the band race through the chorus in a full throttle kind of way. The song is about cutting out small talk and just partying like it’s your last night on earth. There are plenty of “whoa-oh” moments and chances for the band’s audience to shout the words back at the band. The perfect way to end an incredible album.
I bloody love Flanipanis. Everything they release makes me really happy. I’m fully aware they won’t be everyone’s pint of pepsi as humour is a very subjective thing, as all art is, but they’re definitely worth taking a chance on. I think you’ll be surprised. The more I listen to it, the more things I find that I think are really important to hear in the current climate. There are songs about mental health, politics, feminism and living your best life. I listen to music because it makes me happy, Flangipanis make me really, really happy. I hope they do for you as well.
Stream and download Fuckin' Woo on Bandcamp here.
Like Flangipanis on Facebook here.
This review was written by Colin Clark.
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