Album Review: Second Landing by Giant Eagles (by Chris Bishton)

There's something about European punk at the moment. So many great bands. So many great records. (Check out the release CPRW put out recently, Adventures in Europe, showcasing 21 bands from different countries throughout Europe if you don't believe me). But, sadly, so many often overlooked.

Maybe it's because all the European festivals have been called off along with countless shows and tours? Maybe it's because it's increasing difficult and expensive for bands to tour even pre-COVID? Maybe it's just because the scene has a lot of great bands at the moment and it's just a very crowded place to get heard? I don't know. What I do know though is that Giant Eagles and their new album Second Landing, seriously needs your attention.

Formed from members of Apers, Windowsill, Accelerators and Lone Wolf, you'll probably be familiar with their work. As the album title suggests, this is the second from these Dutch punks, although they've been playing music together for 17 years. They are accomplished musicians, yet they've never played live. Their one and only scheduled show, a festival in Italy, was cancelled this year due to COVID. So perhaps this lack of shows and just two albums in 17 years is the reason that this particular band aren't huge? I doubt it, but I'm still baffled why Europe's punk bands still don't seem to get the recognition others, particularly in the US, sometimes do.

Anyway... the album Second Landing, broadly speaking, is 12 very catchy pop punk-type songs about subjects as diverse and random as a zombie apocalypse, wars with robots and killer snakes fitted into just over 30 minutes. There's more than an element of 80s Ramonescore to the songs (they used to call themselves Real Ramoneroonies until they changed it to Giant Eagles) and there's elements of even older style post-punk, synth-laden songs in there as well. David Bowie fans will also be able to pick out influences from the master.

The first track, Bloodlust Tonight, demonstrates this perfectly – it's not as frantic as a full on Ramomes song, which leaves room for the synth. It reminds me a lot of The Lillingtons/Teenage Bottlerocket and some Misfits, but without being a total frenzy.

This leads into the second track, Everything is Lost. If you love your woah-oh sing-a-longs, this is the track for you – they punctuate it throughout. It's mid-paced, hook-heavy, sing-a-long stuff with that synth in there as well, which is then followed by a the speedier third track, My Wish Is Your Command.

My favourite song is Evil Robot Nation. It's certainly "out there" in the sense that it's about a woman fighting a war with robots in 500 years time! But it's sooo catchy, this subject just seems to fit so well with the melody. I'm not sure everyone would classify this as a punk rock song, such is the synth so evident on this one, but I don't care... it's brilliant, however you want to classify it. The same might even be said about the tracks I Don't Love Nobody and Supreme – both very new wave, rather than full on punk.

The killer snakes track is Anacoda. Uncomplicated, repetitive and also super catchy. You'll know the lyrics and the melody back to front after your first listen. It's a lot of fun.

Out Of Love is another great track. One that's more straight forward, sing your heart out pop punk – Mr T Experience meets Screeching Weasel.

The other songs such as Lost My Heart Overseas, Southbound, the aforementioned Zombie Apocalypse and the last track, Put One In The Chamber, make up the album. All great songs that fit together to make one of my favourite albums released so far this year.

Second Landing is available from Shield Recordings in Europe and Moms Basement in the US and, if you're a one of those vinyl-type people, the artwork alone kinda makes this worth having. The Giant Eagle in a space suit is as eye catching as it is brilliant.

Lastly, Giant Eagles have been referred to quite a lot as a "supergroup" and, recently on CPRW, I mused that punk had never really given us a really great "supergroup." I now take that back. Giant Eagles... super punks.

Stream and download Second Landing on Bandcamp here.

Like Giant Eagles on Facebook here.

This review was written by Chris Bishton.

Album Review: Poindexter by Poindexter

Ska! I’m always excited to discover new ska punk bands. Today’s is the eight piece Poindexter who are spread between Detroit, Michigan and Los Angeles. In April, they released their debut three track self titled EP. This was a another discovery on Bandcamp whilst bored during Lockdown. Is there a better way to be spending your time when you’re not allowed outside to play than finding new favourite bands on Bandcamp?

The opening song and our introduction to Poindexter is titled Grounded. Grounded starts slowly with the guitar, bass and drums beginning the song before the brass adds another layer and then Gracie Pryor’s vocals come in. This isn’t your fast paced ska punk that I normally review, nor is it reggae. Poindexter play more of a ska pop style music, allowing you to have a dance without things getting too crazy. Up next is Increment. Again starting slowly and building, there is a subtle sounding guitar riff before the brass comes in and gives the song a bit more life. Poindexter have a four piece brass section which allows the songs to sound huge. Increment really shows off Pryor’s exquisite voice as they belt out the chorus of the song. I also enjoyed the use of gang vocals to trade lines and harmonise with Pryor. The third and final song on the EP is Purgatory. This time beginning with the horns, it’s almost a bit of a sad opening before the drums join and it becomes a bit funky. From then on, the brass gives the song a playfulness that I really enjoyed. Something I noticed throughout the EP is that despite being an eight piece band, the Poindexter sound is still quite minimalistic. Nothing feels overdone and everyone plays their part brilliantly. Purgatory really is a song for the brass section to show off what they can do, with each member getting little solos midway through before finishing the song and EP off with such energy.

Poindexter are a very new band in the scene but clearly have something to offer. They are obviously a talented bunch who can write fantastic ska pop songs. It’s always nice to discover more new ska bands popping up, proving that the genre is still alive and kicking.

Stream and download Poindexter on Bandcamp here.

Like Poindexter on Facebook here.

This review was written Colin Clark.

Album Review: Anti-Charisma Wholesale by Don Blake

I always smile when I see that Bolton’s Don Blake are releasing new material. The pop punk foursome are prolific songwriters and always seem to be releasing something new every couple of years. Their most recent release is a six track EP named Anti-Charisma Wholesale and it is released by Brassneck Records and Bloated Kat Records.
Anti-Charisma Wholesale begins with The Future Is A Closed Door. The track starts off in a startling manner with a rapid drum roll and some crunching guitars that almost have you thinking you’re listening to a metal record. When Joe’s distinctive vocals come in we settle back into the familiar Don Blake sound. Joe’s soaring vocals, along with some of the best harmonies in the scene, are as good as ever and the extra crunch in the guitar adds a slight skate punk element into the song. A Comfortable Lie is the title of the second song. In contrast to the opening song, A Comfortable Lie starts quite quietly before building towards the opening verse. This is a more traditional pop punk song. The verse is full of melody that hooks you in quickly and when they switch to a more punchy style for the chorus you can’t help but want to sing along. The chorus has this thing about it that has you wanting to listen intently and sing every word. Up next is Penitent One. I had to look up what penitent actually means whilst reviewing the song – it’s “feeling or showing sorrow and regret for having done wrong.” From that I guess you can work out what the song is about – admitting you’ve done wrong and trying to make amends. The song goes by at a frantic pace, with Nige’s drums really driving the song forward.

The second half of the EP begins with Almost Got ’Em. This is more of a mid-tempo pop punk song similar to what we found on their excellent 2015 album Pocket Universe. Something I really enjoyed was the brilliant bass line from Sam that’s evident throughout the track. It adds a subtle backbone to the song that the rest of the band can play off. The penultimate song is named Haze Again. This is one of the more emotional songs on Anti-Charisma Wholesale. The song has a definite No Use For A Name vibe to it that I loved. Musically the song is quite frantic and full of energy. Joe’s vocals, along with some delicious harmonies from the rest of the band, add all of the melody and emotion to the song. This feels a bit different for Don Blake and I really like it. The final track is titled Polaroid and begins with an epic introduction. I’ve said many times that I really enjoy it when a final track feels like a final track and that’s exactly the case here. Everything feels likes it’s been turned up a notch and this gives the song a massive feeling. There are guitar and bass solos aplenty and the drums are as powerful as ever. The ending of the song is quite sudden and not really expected. This really left me wanting more, so I listened to the EP again… and again.

Don Blake are a mainstay of the UK’s pop punk scene and it’s great to see them continuing to release great music. I was really looking forward to seeing them again at MPF in April (obviously we all know what that happened there), so hopefully when things get back to normal it won’t be too long until I can see them live again as these songs sound perfect for a gig setting.

Stream and download Anti-Charisma Wholesale on Bandcamp here.

Like Don Blake on Facebook here.

This review was written by Colin Clark.

Album Review: For The Kids! by Much Better

Much Better are a three piece band from LA. In April the band released their third EP, For The Kids! I first discovered Much Better during an evening of checking out new bands on Bandcamp and was quickly impressed with their passionate take on the pop punk genre.

The EP begins with Only Everything. The track starts with some fun, jangly guitars before some startling vocals come in and really grab your attention. I think the best way (and perhaps the laziest) of describing the vocals is to say that they’re similar to Jeff Rosenstock’s, melodic shouting style. The way in which they’re delivered is perfect for shouting along too. They instantly make you feel involved in the song which, for me, is always important. I loved the lyrics in the chorus – “I think we unlocked the meaning to life, but we were both pretty high, so I forgot the logistics.” Up next is the just over one minute long Hocus Pocus. I was surprised when I saw the song’s length as it feels like it’s much longer. That’s not meant in a negative way, there’s so much going on it’s impressive that Much Better managed to squeeze it all into such a short space of time. The song opens up with a stabby guitar part and a pounding drum beat that goes on throughout the song. There’s a dirtiness to the tone of the song but it comes alive when the vocals come in.

Leftovers does that wonderful thing that many pop punk bands do with taking a song that’s really sad and turning it into a celebration. This helps anyone who’s going through a similar thing to relate and realise that they’re not alone. It’s a cathartic feeling that is very good for people. Leftovers is about dealing with the breakup of a relationship and trying to get out of old habits and traditions. The track features a lengthy breakdown section that splits the song into two. This adds to the emotion of the song, making you realise that the singer is really heartbroken. The final track, Year To Year, shows that Much Better know how to finish an EP. It starts out in quite an epic fashion with a building intro that leaves you feeling suspense for when the tempo shifts up a gear and the vocals come in. From there, this is exactly what you would expect from Much Better – except everything feels bigger. When the chorus comes in with added harmonies, they really had me. It’s a simple technique but such a powerful one. Towards the end of the track there is another shift in melody. Starting slow and then building, we get the most intense version of Much Better and the EP finishes with a big flourish.

For The Kids! feels like the kind of release that I could keep going back to and finding new little intricacies that I really love. Much Better are a band with a huge upside. Brilliantly crafted pop punk songs that have fun, witty and meaningful lyrics, plenty of moments to sing along with and it also feels wonderfully fresh. Get on this quick.

Stream and download For The Kids! on Bandcamp here.

Like Much Better on Facebook here.

This review was written by Colin Clark.

Album Review: Driving by Bashful

Driving by Bashful is one of my favourite releases of 2020 but yet I never got around to reviewing it until now. Released in February on Low Risk Records, it’s a ten tracks in twenty-one minutes pop punk gem of an album.

It begins with the song Boston Shitter. This will most likely be your first listen of Bashful (unless you picked up our Hidden Gems comp) and they showcase what they’re all about brilliantly here. It’s an uptempo track that’s packed with melody and lots of opportunities to sing along. Jake Guralnik’s vocals have plenty of passion behind them that really help you to invest in the song and the album early. Up next is Song, Too. It’s clear, after just two songs, that Bashful have a great knack for writing a catchy chorus and they’re not shy about getting there quickly. Musically the song doesn’t stray far from the standard pop punk formula but, when the song is so fun to sing along to, this really doesn’t matter. Lightheaded reminded me of The Ergs when I first listened to it. I love The Ergs so this pleased me no end. There’s a slight twang in Jake’s voice that really had me thinking of Mikey Erg. I believe the song is about being on a bad trip and not enjoying how it’s making you feel. (Please correct me if that’s wrong). This is the first time that gang vocals are used during the choruses and it’s a great addition.

The album’s title track, Driving, comes next. Slowing things down slightly, there’s an indie punk vibe about this song. If you know the London based band Great Cynics, think in that direction. The slower tempo allows for a bit more depth musically. Drummer Alex Wilhelm squeezes in some sweet fills throughout the track, really showing off his skill. This skill is also shown during the short introduction to Impossible. Bringing the tempo back up very quickly, this is Bashful at their very best. Buzzing guitars, rapid fire lyrics and yet another chorus that will glue itself in your mind. The track is about realising that you’ve not been a good person to be around and promising to do better in the future. The sixth song is titled Running. Slowing things back down, Running is a power-pop track that features some sweet harmonies. The song is about dealing with anger issues and just being fed up with always feeling angry at the world. Fun? was the track that appearing on our Hidden Gems compilation. Tonally this is a fun and breezy listen but when you dig into the lyrics it’s a sad song about not enjoying your current situation and wanting to be all by yourself.

Us is about trying to move forward with your life whilst attempting to block out and escape the past. This is a song that I’m sure many people will relate with. We’ve all got things that have happened in our past that continue to haunt us into our adulthood. This song about self-realisation feels more uplifting than some of the other tracks and is treated as such with the upbeat nature of the music. The penultimate song on Driving is named Overreact. Starting out with some “whoa-ohs”, it welcomes you in immediately and will get a live crowd involved from the outset. The song shifts tempo and melodies throughout, keeping it sounding fresh and showing another page of the Bashful trick book so late in the album. The album is finished with On My Way Out. The only song on Driving to go over three minutes, this really allowed Bashful time to let loose with some extra guitar solos and drum fills. The song looks at what it’s like to feel like you’re about to have a breakdown but trying keep things together as best you can. Something else I’m sure most of us have had to deal with at some point or another.

As I said in the introduction, Driving is just ten songs in twenty-one minutes but what a fantastic twenty-one minutes it is. It’s hard to make pop punk sound fresh and new in 2020 but Bashful have done a magnificent job of this. Definitely a band you need to be keeping an eye on.

Stream and download Driving on Bandcamp here.

Like Bashful on Facebook here.

This review was written by Colin Clark.

Album Review: NO DREAM by Jeff Rosenstock

On the 20th of May Jeff Rosenstock, in true Jeff Rosenstock style, released a brand new full length without any fanfare, build up or promotion. All of a sudden there was a new Jeff Rosenstock album unleashed on the world and the punk rock scene was very excited. Titled NO DREAM, this is the fifth album to be released under the Jeff Rosenstock name. As a fan of pretty much everything Jeff has released, including former bands such as The Arrogant Sons Of Bitches and Bomb The Music Industry, I was looking forward to hearing the next addition to Jeff’s forever growing discography.

The first track is titled NO TIME. Starting out in a style that made me fall in love with Jeff Rosenstock all those years ago, this is an energetic and chaotic track that’s just fifty-four seconds long. On the song, Jeff asks the question ‘have you grown into the person that you wanted to be?’ and responds with the reason/excuse that they didn’t have the time. A common theme among a lot of Jeff’s music over the past few years has been self-discovery and looking at life in your thirties so it’s nice to see this continues on NO DREAM. Up next is Nikes (Alt). On this track, the tempo is brought down slightly but all of the energy remains. Jeff delivers the verses on the song in a punchy fashion that allows the song to quickly find a place inside of your mind. The verse is much more melodic and allows for plenty of sing-along moments. Scram! is about wanting to get away from the poisonous people in your life. The people who try and force you to see their point of view and aren’t willing to listen to your own. The song has a simple but effective rhythm and does a magnificent job of building towards its big ending. Next is the album’s title track, N O D R E A M. Starting out slowly before exploding into a big, angry passionate finale, N O D R E A M is about seeing atrocities on the TV and trying to ignore them before realising you should help and asking how it is possible. This is a track that seems to be becoming more and more relevant at the moment as people begin to see the terrible things going on in the world and want to help with a positive change.

I really enjoyed the alarm/siren like sound at the beginning of State Line. This is one of the more emotional tracks on the album with Jeff’s vocals feeling more strained than ever as he pours his heart out. The track is about life on tour and the emotions that you go through. The sixth song is titled f a m e and is maybe my favourite on the album. It’s about continuing to do your own thing despite the pressures of being a bigger name and people expecting a certain thing from you. It feels as if Jeff is releasing some past frustrations through the track and this is perhaps something that a lot of musicians will also relate to. Leave It In The Sun looks at the subject of struggling to let go of past relationships even though it’s often a necessary part of growing up. This, like many Jeff Rosenstock songs, is an extremely self-reflective song. When the song started, I was fully expecting a full blown fast paced number but instead the band stay at a mid and sometime even mellow tempo that really allows you to think about the track’s lyrics.

From the title The Beauty Of Breathing you might expect a positive song about how good life can be. This song is actually about realising all of the negative aspects of your personality and feeling jaded by them. Despite the downbeat nature of the song, it’s actually quite a summery sounding track – the sort that you would find on a “100 Songs Of Summer Playlist.” Old Crap begins with a scratchy DIY sounding acoustic opening which really takes you back to some of Jeff’s earlier work. I loved this as it breaks the album up considerably. As Old Crap progresses, the song morphs into a full band effort and the production gets cleaner. This also adds some great intensity to the song in a way that only Jeff Rosenstock can do. The tenth track, ***BNB is a song about life on the road, staying in strangers’ homes and how weird that can feel sometimes. The first two verses are basically reviews of stays at BNBs from being on tour. The autobiographical nature of this really helps the song hit home with what it can be like being on the road and staying at strangers’ places every night.

Monday At The Beach is a pretty special song for me. Growing up, myself and a group of my best friends would spend every Monday at the beach during the summer so it’s almost as if this song was written about that. It’s only a short, fifty four second song but it’s performed in such a way it feels like there’s a lot packed in. The penultimate song is titled Honeymoon Ashtray. The track is about always remembering the good parts of a relationship even when things are at their most difficult. This is a really sad and sombre song for the most part with some brief upbeat moments added towards the end of the track. NO DREAM is completed with the epic Ohio Tpke. This is a song about coming home from tour and dealing with the excitement of seeing your loved ones but also the dread of going through airports and feeling guilty about things. The song takes you on an series of highs and lows and has you feeling many emotions. It’s a track that really does play with your heartstrings in a fantastic way and is a fitting way to end the album.

NO DREAM is another very impressive addition to the Jeff Rosenstock discography. Jeff is one of the most prolific songwriters, not just in punk rock but in the wider world of music. The man churns out banger after banger. NO DREAM will please long time fans of the band and also be a great introduction to those discovering them for the first time.

Stream and download NO DREAM on Bandcamp here.

Like Jeff Rosenstock on Facebook here.

This review was written by Colin Clark.

Album Review: I Hate My Life, I Hate Myself, and Everyone Hates Me Except For My Dog by Snow Day (by Emma Prew)

Browsing the ‘folk punk’ tag on Bandcamp recently resulted in me discovering acoustic punk artist Snow Day. A self-proclaimed ‘mediocre singer-songwriter masquerading as a punk’, Meghan Burke describes I Hate My Life, I Hate Myself, and Everyone Hates Me Except For My Dog as being about going through a really rough time – ‘I was experiencing feelings of hopelessness and self hate and the only one who was there for me during that time was my terrier Delilah.’

The first of four songs on the EP is titled Lucky. Opening with some simple strummed chords, the vocals soon come in and begin to tell their impassioned tale. Lucky is about the all too real struggles that many young people experience today (in this case in America but it applies elsewhere too) – working hard to get a decent education and then struggling to get by with a minimum wage job at the end of it. The addition of violin for the chorus really lifts the song, particularly alongside Meghan‘s anger-fuelled lyrics. Caffeine is up next. Here Meghan sings more specifically about suffering from depression and anxiety, perhaps as a result of the life struggles mentioned in the previous song. However, the song is as much about trying to be better as it is about mental health problems. ‘Don't think that I'm pathetic, please don't think of me that way, I’m running out of things to lose, I'm just trying to find my way, My hands begin to shake, my head begins to sway, Maybe ’cause caffeine makes me sick, but I drink it anyway.’

The third song, Alone, feels very personal as Meghan sings of having serious trust issues as a result of a toxic relationship. There’s an understandable amount of venom to the vocals that, along with the brusque strums of the guitar, really make you feel the pain in the words that are being sung. Towards the end of the song, Meghan shouts ‘I wish I never met you’ which further which further emphasis the pain and anguish. Throughout the EP, but particularly on this song, I was greatly reminded of Days N Daze’s Whitney Flynn which is definitely no bad thing. The final song is called Going To Rutland. Starting out with some distinct muted guitar playing, this is a fairly slow-paced song – not that the others have been especially fast paced, mind you – which allows the listener to focus on every word. Going To Rutland is about revisiting somewhere that holds both good and bad memories and the mixed feelings that this results in. Although the anger is still there, it does feel like some sort of conclusion to the thoughts and feelings that were discussed on the previous tracks and ends the EP well.

I’m not sure how long Snow Day has been playing music – this appears to be their first release on Bandcamp – but I will be keeping an eye out for more from them in the future.

You can stream and download I Hate My Life, I Hate Myself, and Everyone Hates Me Except For My Dog on Bandcamp and like Snow Day on Facebook.

This review was written by Emma Prew.