Album Review: Waste My Heart by The Raging Nathans (by Rich Bailey)

Released on the excellent Rad Girlfriend Records and hot on the heels of ‘Oppositional Defiance’, this is The Raging Nathans’ fourth album and second in 12 months. Melodic Hardcore/Pop Punk/Punk Rock – this offering has it all; for fans of Dopamines, Copyrights, Methodones and poppier Bad Religion.

Album opener and title track ‘Waste My Heart’ is reminiscent of Coaster era NOFX – especially the vocal delivery – and is an excellent indication of where the whole album is going as it sets the tone for the rest of the record: inventive guitar riffs, pounding drums and great basslines, all at breakneck speed.

‘Freedom’ is next. At less than two minutes this isn’t even the shortest track on the album, but what a belter; anthemic chorus with a classic pop-punk vibe.

‘I Could Never Fall In Love With You’ is pure pop-punk; one repeated verse for 3 ½ minutes reminds me of End Of The Century era Ramones. A great musical bridge in the middle with intricate guitar work, this shows that the Nathans have matured greatly over the years and feel more than comfortable putting out a song like this.

Fourth track ‘Wide Awake’ kicks in like the beginning of the soundtrack to Friends but quickly deviates into a melodic hardcore track about not being able to sleep due to the ongoing stress of nightmares.

‘Out Of Town’ has a great power chord riff and pounding drums with melancholic lyrics about friendship and how much it’s depended upon: “…further with every step; wondering what’s next; but I’ll never forget that friend of mine.” Great stuff.

‘Remember’ and ‘Cemetery Drive’ flash by in an explosion of pounding drums and excellent, inventive guitar riffs. A great juxtaposition between melodic hardcore and pop-punk.

‘Overworked’ is a lament about the world of work, the mindless drudgery of clocking on and never getting paid your full worth and trying to decide whether what you do is actually worth it: “…does it matter at the end of the day or are we just wasting our time.”

‘Tempus Fuck It’ is a dark offering that has lyrics and melody not dissimilar to Rise Against.

‘New Direction’ is tight and melodic, with drums and bass at the forefront with catchy, hardcore riffs. It has unapologetic, harmonious lyrical delivery about no longer being rudderless and to stop drifting through life.

‘Shadow Of Youth’ is the shortest track on the LP and is a hardcore rant about an unnamed entity: “You’re a fuck, I hope you choke; your throat closes, you turn blue; so fucking die with a hole in your head; and every word is true.” Great guitar work to end the track.

Album closer ‘Beginning Of The end’ (great title for the last track on the LP) is about the end of a relationship. Drums lead the song with inventive lead breaks and guitar riffs in the bridge.

From the blurb on Bandcamp: ‘They’re prolific, unapologetic and “Waste my Heart” cements their legacy as the last great punk band.’ Not sure everyone would agree, but they’re certainly getting close.

Stream and download Waste My Heart on Bandcamp here.

Like The Raging Nathans on Facebook here.

This review was written by Rich Bailey.

Album Review: Split by Two Houses and New Junk City (by Emma Prew)

You probably know that we love a split release here at CPRW. It’s often a great opportunity to check out one new band while also supporting one you already know and sometimes they cover each other’s songs too which is always pretty cool to hear. That’s exactly the case with this four track split on Rad Girlfriend Records featuring Two Houses – a band that’s new to me – and New Junk City – a band I know and love. They each have one, I assume, brand new song as well as a cover of one of the other band’s tracks.

Two Houses take the first half of the split. If, like me, you are unfamiliar with the band, they describe themselves as a reliable rock ’n’ roll band and are a trio from Chicago. Southbound And Down opens with a jangly guitar riff before the volume and distortion levels are ramped up when the vocals come in. There’s a rawness to the song and the vocals that reminds me of Tim Barry of Avail. It’s a fairly fast paced and short song, at only just over 2 minutes in length, but Two Houses still manage to fit in a guitar solo in the middle of the track. Up next is Snot A Problem which is a cover of the opening song on New Junk City’s 2014 self-titled album. The original is fast paced and quite an angry sounding song – which is understandable given the lyrics (‘You come in the door at 3am, You’re drunk as fuck and screaming at me again.’). Two Houses slow their version down somewhat and, rather than obvious anger, they simply seem resentful and bitter. It’s dark and almost grungey sounding and the band also add some fine harmonised vocals that drive the story of the song home all the more.

New Junk City are a four-piece punk rock band from Atlanta. I had the pleasure of seeing them live at Hamburg’s Booze Cruise Festival last summer and their set was one of my highlights of the whole weekend. Sticky is the name of their original song on the split and it wastes no time in getting going. Upbeat from the outset, the track immediately gets my head nodding. There’s a catchy riff threaded throughout the song but it’s the vocals and lyrics that really stand out to me. I’ve always thought vocalist John has an incredibly distinct voice, it’s got a sort of Americana or Bluesy twang it that works so well with the band’s fast paced and melodic punk rock – I love it. The Two Houses’ song that New Junk City cover is The Fear from their 2016 album I Feel So Good I Can’t Stand Myself. Having not listened to Two Houses prior to this split, I did quickly check out the original so that I could properly compare the two. The obvious immediate difference between the two is that New Junk City have included an audio clip at the beginning of their version but, after that, it is perhaps slightly more upbeat than the original with some slightly fuzzy guitars bringing a warmth to the track. It’s a super catchy tune and the layered vocals towards the end – which are more distinct than on the original – are brilliant. This is probably my favourite of the four songs.

I perhaps wouldn’t have thought to check out a slightly grungey rock ’n’ roll band such as Two Houses before but I’m glad that I have now thanks to this split. Both Two Houses and New Junk City have contributed great stuff here and I would recommend checking out both of their back catalogues out – starting with this split.

Stream and download the split on Bandcamp.

Like Two Houses on Facebook here and like New Junk City on Facebook here.

This review was written by Emma Prew.

Album Review: Blood Orange Moon by Frankie Stubbs (by Chris Bishton)

Disclaimer: When I asked Colin if he wanted me to write something on Frankie Stubb's Blood Orange Moon EP, I knew full well it was really just an excuse for me to gush about how much of a Godlike genius he is. So you've been warned... if you don't think he (and Leatherface) should be worshiped at an altar, you should probably stop reading this now. 

 

I grew up listening to and watching Frankie and Leatherface. Even though they were from Sunderland, way up north and a city that seemed a millions miles from me in London, they gigged so much. It felt like they were playing the capital all the time.

I remember seeing them all over town, often with their cohorts Snuff. From small pubs in Finsbury Park to big clubs like the Astoria (RIP). I saw them at The Venue – literally next door to CPRW's favourite the New Cross Inn – and I remember the day I first bought a copy of Mush, THE defining Leatherface album, from Reckless Records. I wanted a copy so bad that I bought it even though they'd lost the sleeve. I paid £1.99, rather than £4.29. I played it to death. I still do.

So, now here we are *cough* some years later and it's been far too long since Frankie put out a record. Apart from his previous 7 inch, My Heart Is Home, a couple of years ago, it's almost 20 years since his self-titled 10 inch. Admittedly, Leatherface got back together around the time his first solo record came out and they then proceeded to put out several albums over the following years, but he was then on hiatus after they split for a second time, working a regular shift work job.

Yet, despite this, mention the name Frankie Stubbs to people in today's scene and he still seems to be as well known and popular as ever. Everyone seems to be familiar with those raspy vocals, very often alongside such beautiful lyrics. Could he be labeled the earliest adopter of "gruff punk"? I'd argue so.

Therefore, it's no surprise the new EP has been so popular. The record, released on Little Rocket in the UK and Rad Girlfriend in the US, sold out its first pressing and a second pressing is already on the way.

It's a collection of four acoustic songs – three new and a fourth that's a reworked version of Leatherface's Shipyards. All four are exquisite. The first track is I Liked Being a European. Just from the title I knew I was going to love this. Soft, just Frankie's voice and guitar, with backing from his old Leatherface mate Graeme Philliskirk on guitar. It's acoustic, so is obviously delicate, but it's still raw and unmistakably Frankie.

The middle two tracks are the aforementioned Shipyards and the title track, Blood Orange Moon. These are just Frankie on his own. Shipyards was always one of Leatherface's gentler, stripped back songs, but with this new version it's just him and the guitar, not even the piano is there anymore and it's stunning. Blood Orange Moon itself is a little faster (but not much) and is similarly graceful. The last track is Jimmy Jesus. Graeme provides backing guitar again on this and it's just another wonderful, signature sounding song.

A few years ago Frankie played Pouzza in Canada. He's also played Punk Rock Bowling in Las Vegas. This year he was meant to play Hamburg's Booze Cruise and was considerably high up on the bill – another measure of the high regard he's still held in – and I was particularly gutted to be missing that festival. I also listened to an interview with him recently where he revealed he still has at least an album's worth of material that he'd worked on with Dickie Hammond, but at the moment, and for obvious reasons, he's not ready to think about releasing that.

Given all this, I hope it means there's still more to come from Frankie N.W. Stubbs. I hope he knows how many will still buy his records and come to his shows. I hope he knows how many still love him. And I hope I get to see him play again.

Stream and download Blood Orange Moon on Bandcamp here.

This review was written by Chris Bishton.

Album Review: Oppositional Defiance by The Raging Nathans

The last time we reviewed The Raging Nathans on CPRW was their 2018 album Cheap Fame. Since then, they’re released splits with Dead Bars, Starter Jackets, Parasites and Jon Cougar Concentration Camp as well as compilation of all of their 7”. Not a band that like to rest, now they are getting ready to release a brand new full length titled Oppositional Defiance on Rad Girlfriend Records (USA) and Brassneck Records (UK), on 24th July. One of the hardest working and most prolific pop punk bands in the scene, when this arrived in my inbox I was very excited to check it out.

The album starts with Tragedy Ghouls: An Introduction. As you should have guessed, this is an introduction for the album. Layered over the top of a pop punk song, there are audio clips of news pieces talking about gun violence. It’s a startling but powerful way to start the album and really makes you think. Following this, the album begins properly with the song One Day Closer. This is a fast paced and frantic song that hooked me in immediately. The song manages to keep its tempo throughout and remains super engaging for the whole duration as well. Despite the tempo, it’s still super catchy and will receive some huge sing-alongs – assuming people are fit enough to keep up with the vocals. The song is about being angry with your place in life and not being able to change that. The chorus is one that I’m sure is relatable for a lot of people, “every day I’m alive I’m one day closer to death.” Where Ya Been? has a throwback 90s sound to it and is definitely a song for the summer. There’s an upbeat breeziness to the song that put a smile on my face. On the track, The Raging Nathans sing about getting reacquainted with an old friend and seeing a change in them. I’m sure that we’ve all experienced that. When looking over the track list before I listened to Oppositional Defiance, the next track, Don’t Miss The Train, stood out to me. I wondered if it was a No Use For A Name cover. It’s not. It is however a smashing track that shows off a more restrained Raging Nathans. The wings are mostly clipped with everything feeling sharper and to the point on the track. It’s about looking back on the things you did when you were younger and deciding it’s best to leave them there.

Parole Violation sees The Raging Nathans go down a different route. Turning everything up to eleven, including their anger – this is a full speed hardcore song and I love it. It’s full of passion and energy and will certainly get a circle pit going whenever they play it live. The track really allows Christian Roerig to show off just how good he is as a bass player with some great rumbling basslines pushing the song forward. The sixth song is titled Signals. Reverting back to the band’s more traditional pop punk sound, Signals is about the frustration of not being able to read people and feeling bad about it. There’s such a slickness to the song. It feels like a lot of time has been spent crafting these songs so they’re perfect. The backing harmonies in particular are a superb touch on the song. It’s a subtle extra layer that brings a lot to the track. Outside wastes no time in getting started. During the track, lead singer Josh Goldman sings about feeling ostracised and asks if you know what that’s like, as well as wanting to find a way of fitting back in. There’s a definite 90s skate punk feel to the song, particularly No Use For A Name who always edged towards the poppier side of skate punk. Up next is You Are Not Me. This was one of my favourite tracks on Oppositional Defiance. It’s about those people who always have a better story than you and look to one up everyone. What The Raging Nathans are saying is that those people are jealous of what you’ve achieved by yourself. The song has a great barroom sing-along feel to it; arms wrapped around your friends, fists in the air shouting as loudly as you can – a great time!

The ninth song is titled Big Mouth. Big Mouth certainly has a feel of The Copyrights about it with the buzzsaw like guitars and big gang vocal chorus. There is an in your face nature to the song that fits the song’s theme perfectly. It’s about, like the chorus states, having a big mouth and not being able to shut up. This is such a catchy chorus that you will be singing for days after listening to the song. Stargazing is about missing your loved ones, perhaps due to being away on tour. This is one of the poppiest songs on the album, showing off a softer side of the band. The song is quite a simple and repetitive one that you will latch on to quickly – this really made it stand out on my first listen of the album. I enjoyed the irony of the harmony during the line “so alone”. The penultimate track on the album is titled Old Blood. Old Blood really brings the pace back up. Opening with some rapid fire vocals and an uptempo melody, it gives the album an adrenaline shot just as it begins to finish. Musically it’s relentless from start to finish with the vocals supplying most of the melody. Oppositional Defiance is finished with Spoiled Brat which originally appeared on their split with Parasites. Making sure to finish the album with a bit of a flurry, the song has quite a long intro that builds into some of the most passionate vocals on the album. The song is about not appreciating what you have and what you’ve done and then realising that that is a stupid thing to be doing.

Oppositional Defiance is another superb addition to The Raging Nathans discography. It could be, in fact, their best release so far. It is definitely one of the best pop punk records of 2020.

Pre-order Oppositional Defiance on Bandcamp here.

Like The Raging Nathans on Facebook here.

This review was written by Colin Clark.