Album Review: Now by Rent Strike (by Rich Bailey)

I've always enjoyed a bit of ‘folk punk’; especially Drag the River, Wingnut Dishwashers Union, The Taxpayers and Chuck Ragan’s stuff. I first came across Rent Strike when they released ‘IX’ in 2018 and vaguely followed their comings and goings ever since. ‘Now’ is a slight departure from earlier recordings in that it is more on the ‘folk’ side of things rather than ‘punk’; but that said, it doesn’t detract from some great storytelling and personal lyrics that are very emotive.

Album opener Radio Silence starts initially with typical folk guitar and folk singing, then drums, bass and the rest burst in and give the whole song a fuller, padded out vibe: later we return to the guitar/vocals. This is a great opening track about how peripheral noise (radio, TV etc.) is meaningless. Taking My Time reminds me of early Magazine, especially John Warmb’s vocal delivery – albeit in a Michigan accent. There's great, intricate guitar over pounding rhythm section. A song about revisiting the past to take what’s rightfully yours rather than putting up with what hand you’ve been dealt; “Bathed in radiation, born under a sour sign, all that I’m left with is this meaningless existence, being made to work and wait around to die.”

From The Outside is a highly emotional piece about the unfairness of existence which ends with a hopeful sense of trying to make things better; “… but I’m gonna be strong, and I’m gonna see.” Work! (Future Perfect) is a lament about having to work to live and how one person copes (beer and cigarettes) with this immutable fact – a lot of people’s favourite track on the album. There's some excellent use of slide guitar! The Solid Wall of Stuff has great lyrics about wasting life and not really knowing why; brilliantly delivered with female vocal echoes.

Next Time and Redline (Derive) are long, slow burners with thoughtful, personal lyrics that are emotionally raw and honest with magnificent and sparse guitar work that complements the words beautifully. GBRO is a song about the end of a relationship and who actually called it; “So who’s hand is on the switch anyways?” It's a swing style track with excellent trombone from Michele Fortunato. Time And Decay has an opening verse with an acoustic led impassioned pontification about getting old and being likened to an old, slow computer. The rest of the band then kicks in for a sped up country punk song about how we all turn into our parents (God forbid!).

At The Threshold is a slow, mournful broadside about how we are slowly killing out planet and we haven’t got long to do something about it. The longest track and perhaps my favourite Now (… and Forever!) links back to the opening song about sleeping with the television on and is a magnificent opus about God being dead, everybody hating the police and how to cope with how the world is changing – a quality track! The album's closer is A Spectacular Time, a synth laden, intricate song about the end of a relationship (or the end of an album?) with the closing lines – “I’ll never know if the moment was right, But I had a spectacular time.”

All in all, the album consists of some hopeful undertones to some personal and bleak topics.

Stream and download Now on Bandcamp and like Rent Strike on Facebook.

This review was written by Rich Bailey.

CPRW Top Ten Albums of 2021: Part 2

JOHN

10. Mutts Nutts by Chubby And The Gang (Partisan Records)

Chubby And The Gang have followed their excellent 2020 record, Speed Kills with another belter. Following on from their debut, this is fast, aggressive punk and roll at its finest. Check out: Pressure

9. Welfare Jazz by Viagra Boys

Breaking into my top 10 after just a week of listening! I missed this when it came out in January, but Viagra Boys sound like a slightly more melodic Idles with added saxophone. And I absolutely love the term ‘Welfare Jazz’. Check out: Ain’t Nice

8. 9th and Walnut by Descendents (Epitaph Records)

The slightly odd make up of this record (written in 1979, recorded in 2002, finished in 2020) made it really interesting before I’d even listened to it. The outcome is some classic Descendants moments, mixed with some fairly average songs but nevertheless it makes for a great record. You’ll be left wondering how they wrote these at 17/18 years old. Check out: Tired of Being Tired

7. Uncle Daddy by Wonk Unit (Plasterer Records)

Wonk Unit always seem to put out solid, consistent records and this is no different. Some added elements of piano/synth and a female vocalist make it feel fresh and there’s some undeniably catchy songwriting throughout. Check out: Traditional Punk Song

6. Rocket to Kingston by Bobby Ramone (Guerilla Asso)

I kept seeing this record knocking around on social media and assumed this was a short staying member of the Ramones called Bobby rolling with the name. What it actually is, is a mix of Bob Marley and Ramones and it works brilliantly. I’m not usually a fan of ‘novelty’ type records but this works so well and really caught me off guard, especially as I’m a fan of both artists respectively. Check out: Kaya Bop

5. Emphatically No by Cheekface (New Professor Music)

Cheekface are an indie-punk band with a vocal delivery close to spoken word. The album has wonderful word play throughout and all seems to be written with the tongue firmly planted in the cheek. What we’re treated to is some seriously catchy and fun songs that make it seem okay to hate the world a bit. Check out: “Listen to Your Heart.” “No”

4. Megabear by Me Rex (Big Scary Monsters)

The title of this record is perfect. The ‘album’ consists of 52 songs… 52! I’m not sure whether this was written over weeks, years or decades but the result is amazing. Me Rex seem to have appeared from nowhere with catchy, piano led indie punk/rock that’s infectious, heart-wrenching and wonderful. Like a sad hug. Check out: Tin

3. Perfect by Mannequin Pussy (Epitaph Records)

The only EP to make my Top 10, but it absolutely stands up with the rest of the records. The EP covers such a range throughout the five tracks. The general tone is melancholic but there’s a degree of aggression that builds through all the tracks. ‘To Lose You’ is a really beautiful song and is MP’s most vulnerable moment whilst the rest is aggressive, direct punk songs. Check out: Control, To Lose You

2. Contender by Fightmilk (Reckless Yes Records)

I wrote a review of this when it first came out and I’ve been blasting it most weeks since then. What I most enjoyed about this record is its honesty. As a fellow musician, I love to hear artists put themselves out there and just speak how they feel, which I think this record does so well. It’s also catchy as hell! Check out: Cool Cool Girl

1. Glow On by Turnstile (Roadrunner Records)

This record was such a surprise when I first listened to it. Somehow Turnstile have managed to maintain their unique and riff-heavy hardcore whilst blending in a variety of other elements including synths and samples. A record that has divided opinion but was straight to the top for me. Check out: Holiday

THEO

10. New Low by We Were Sharks (Revival Recordings)

Fantastic production, slick songs. Scratching that pop-punk itch for me with some more modern philosophy thrown in. Worth your time and might bridge the gap between old and new.

9. Fuck Art by The Dirty Nil (Dine Alone Records)

The combination of hooks and some fantastic guitar lines won me over, definitely going to seek out more next year and I hope to catch them live soon.

8. Ollie Ollie Oxen Free by Authority Zero (Concrete Jungle Records, Thousand Islands Records)

Fresh yet familiar, these masters of their art blew me away with this release. Every track has a fist pumping chorus with some intelligent and honest lyrics throughout.

7. Bless My Psyche by Sincere Engineer (Hopeless Records)

Fantastic and passionate alt-punk rock, just the way I love it. They are going to blow up next year.

6. Garden of Burning Apparitions by Full Of Hell (Relapse Records)

Something faster and punkier from Full Of Hell here while keeping their noise experiments at the forefront. Love the hardcore influences coming out more on this, their past 3 releases including Garden have been absolute perfection. Check them out if you want something heavy and vile in your life.

5. The Golden Casket by Modest Mouse (Epic Records)

Vibe album of the year for me if there was a category. I completely agree with Johnny Marr, probably one of the best songwriters of this generation in Isaac Brock. Modest Mouse have never released a bad album for me and this continues the trend.

4. Fuck These Fucking Fascists by The Muslims (Epitaph Records)

Great release, hard hitting and never pulls its punches, essential listening and deserves a thank you for making punk actually punk again.

3. Radical by Every Time I Die (Epitaph Records)

ETID continue the hot streak of never releasing a dull album, some fantastic guest spots and the ability to still sound fresh kept this on repeat for me.

2. Inside (The Songs) by Bo Burnham

Bo Burnham essentially summed up the past 2 years with his special, essential listening for those that need a cathartic release.

1. Glow On by Turnstile (Roadrunner Records)

This is album of the year for me for one reason, I finally got Turnstile. Every release previous to this I enjoyed, but it felt like something didn't quite click. With this it opened up not just another new release, but an entire back catalogue for me to re-assess and enjoy.

RICH B

10. Nowhere Generation by Rise Against (Loma Vista Recordings)

As catchy as it is recognisable, this new 11-track offering from punk rock staples Rise Against is packed with hooks, chuggy riffs and vocals that ache to be sung along to.

9. Bronx VI by The Bronx (Cooking Vinyl)

Bronx VI isn't by any means a conventional punk rock album. And that's exactly what makes it authentic. Punk was never about following a rulebook. With Bronx VI, The Bronx continue to creatively wander wherever the hell they want to, and they make it sound so damn good.

8. Noise Noise Noise by The Last Gang (Fat Wreck Chords)

While Noise Noise Noise has classic shouty punk vocals throughout, these songs have a pop and sometimes reggae undertone to them, especially “Shameless” and “To the King.” The combination of powerful lyrics, Brenna Red’s dark and gritty voice, loud guitar riffs, and fast tempos make this album a punk success.

7. Turn Up That Dial by Dropkick Murphys (Born & Bred Records)

On Turn Up That Dial, the balance between punk rock and folk influences is truly spot-on, and it immediately gives the listener a sense that this is an album that begs for the audience to turn up the volume. This is a stark reminder of what makes this band special: it’s the fact that they are not singing songs to an audience, more that they sing songs with their audience.

6. Let The Bad Times Roll by The Offspring (Concord Records)

Rather than try to reinvent the wheel, Let The Bad Times Roll dives right into what made The Offspring famous in the nineties and early two-thousands. The songs are in your face, a bit rowdy, and accompanied by the one obligatory slow song to change up what is otherwise an even beat throughout.

5. Single Album by NOFX (Fat Wreck Chords)

Single Album hits the satisfying and cathartic release of hard-hitting, energetic songs while delivering substantial political and social critiques—without compromising any credibility as a certifiably subversive band.

4. Confines Of Life by Neighborhood Brats (Dirt Cult Records, Taken By Surprise Records)

Confines Of Life grabs your attention immediately and doesn’t let up until the closing seconds of the final track. Recorded right before California went into lockdown in the early days of the pandemic, the songs that make up the album are ones that need to be heard in this day and age. 

3. Diverse Reality by Paranoid Visions (Advance Records)

Diverse Reality is a sign of our times. Lots of bands and artists are trying to put their mark on pandemic themes, yet Dublin based Paranoid Visions do it with ease. The leaders in punk politics stride forward with this third episode in the ‘Pharmageddon’ series.

2. Now by Rent Strike (First Contact)

Now takes you on a folk punk rollercoaster ride through totally different feels and vibes, it’s a pretty raw and powerfully eclectic mix of well-versed catchy songs.

1. Waste My Heart by The Raging Nathans (Brassneck Records, Dead Broke Rekerds, Rad Girlfriend Records)

In Waste My Heart The Raging Nathans takes listeners on a music history lesson of punk over the last 25 years. Each track fits beautifully with its predecessor, leaving the listener with the strong bones of a complete album.