CPRW Playlist: October 2020

CPRW Playlist: Here's what Brett, Chris, Dan, Dan#2, Emma, Lee, Marcus, Omar, Richard, Robyn and myself have been listening to in October.

Album Review: No Slow TempOs by Youth On Drugs

It seems a little while since I featured a band from Canada on CPRW. Today we’re reviewing Hamilton, Ontario’s Youth On Drugs. The pop punk act released their first full length album in April. Titled No Slow TempOs, the album features fourteen songs with only two being over two minutes in length. Completely my kind of thing. Fast and fun pop punk music.

The album begins with The Youth On Drugs Officially Licensed Theme Song. This serves as an introduction of what to expect from Youth On Drugs. It builds up with guitar, bass, drums and synth before some gang vocals come in proclaiming “we are the Youth On Drugs, we don’t give any fucks.” It’s really simplistic and a bit silly but I honestly couldn’t care less as it’s a lot of fun and got me pumped for what more is to come from the album. The second track is titled Life Always Works Out… Usually. The song starts out, unsurprisingly (given the album’s title), in an up tempo manner. The song is about trying to get by in life despite the hurdles that get placed in your way. The drums really drive the song forward, giving it a powerful back beat with the rest of the instruments giving the song a chaotic edge which I thought was great. The final gang vocals of “I can’t afford to live here anymore” give the track some urgency and help you care about what the band are saying. I think Home Throne is a song about how your toilet is the only one that you want to use. Obviously this is a silly subject but it did make me smile. This is the sort of song that you’ll find yourself singing drunkenly with your pals at a party.

Doug Ford Is The Worst Drug Dealer I’ve Ever Had is the fourth song on the album. There’s a more aggressive nature to this song so I’m guessing Doug Ford really isn’t popular with the guys in Youth On Drugs. The song has a stop-start style in its beginning before reaching a more melodic chorus that’s crying out to be sung along too. Next is Not Over You which is a song about not being over a person you were in a relationship with. Again, this is a simple but fun song that will quickly find a place in your head. The use of gang vocals and harmonies really gives the song a fuller sound that really helps with getting people to want to shout along with Youth On Drugs. It’s also one of the more relatable songs on the album as everyone has been in a relationship that’s ended before they were ready for it to end. Dumb Brain is one of the tracks that is longer than two minutes long. This allows for a longer introduction with each instrument slowly coming in before the vocals begin. I like how this shows a bit of a different side of Youth On Drugs and allows some musicianship to shine through. Dumb Brain is about the frustration of feeling like you can’t do anything right, I’m sure we’ve all been there, and blaming it on yourself. I’ll Never Fall In Love brings us to the halfway point of the album. It’s a high energy song that got me pumped and ready for a fun time. The track is about being in a bad relationship and wanting to get out of it. So it’s quite a sad song but it’s also a great time. If I were in charge of PR for the band then this would have been one of the songs I would have picked to be a single before the album’s release.

The second half of No Slow TempOs begins with Just Not Good (For Each Other). Getting off to a rambunctious start, it’s the drums that drives the song forward along with providing a strong spine for the rest of the band to play off. The synth in particular feels playful on the track. The track itself is about realising that your relationship brings out the worst in you and your partner and you’d be better off separated. During the second half of the song the vocals become more intense and desperate, adding a great extra element to the track. Season’s Greetings is a twenty five second song that finishes as quickly as it starts. It’s a bit nonsensical but keeps the energy of the album going strongly. Do You Wanna Start A Band? is one of the more conventional pop punk tracks. The vocals really remind me of Matt Hart of Squirtgun which I loved. The song has a longer intro compared to the majority of Youth In Drugs songs and has a very upbeat feeling to it. I loved how the tempo increases as the song goes on and by the final couple of lines even the singer feels as if they’re getting out of breath. The song is about starting a band with your friends and thinking about how much fun it could be. There’s an innocence to this song that hasn’t really featured throughout the album and it enables a fresher feeling. Babe Bus Driver was released as a single by the band before the album’s release. This is a frantic song that doesn’t let up at all. Obviously this is a song about a bus driver that the band find attractive. Musically this feels like one of the most aggressive songs on the album and at times it feels as if they instruments drown out the vocals slightly. I imagine this is a fun song to see played live because of its frantic style. It’s only one minute and thirteen seconds long but I imagine I’ll need a sit down after seeing it live.

No Use To You is a sadder song about feeling like you’re not good enough. Despite the sad theme of the song it’s got an upbeat sound that encourages shouting along. It’s a song I’m sure people will relate to so hopefully they could find some form in catharsis in the song. I’m a big fan of songs that cover a topic that isn’t positive and turn it into a bit of anthem. The penultimate track is the brilliant I Wanna Be An Alien. Featuring some incredibly catchy lyrics, harmonies and some great gang vocals, this song was another big favourite of mine. The track is about – you guessed it – wanting to be an alien. In particular it’s about wanting to escape from the place you’re in and getting lost somewhere else. I can see a really silly music video being made for this track complete with a green screen, inflatable alien and a cardboard rocket ship. If Youth On Drugs are reading this and make this video I promise to make it our Video Of The Week. Please make it. The final song on No Slow TempOs is titled Not Yourself. I bang on a lot about albums ending with big epic songs and I have to admit that I didn’t really expect it from Youth On Drugs. I was extremely wrong and they really delivered. The track begins with a repetitive “no you’re not yourself, no you’re not” that I couldn’t help but sing along with before the verse comes in. The song is about trying to cover up the things that are wrong with you when it’s clear to your friends that you’re not doing okay. It’s always important to talk about mental health so I loved that Youth On Drugs decided to tackle the subject. It’s another extremely cathartic song and one that I really hope to enjoy live one day.

I really enjoyed No Slow TempOs. I love fast and fun pop punk music that doesn’t take itself too seriously. Youth On Drugs seems to be quite a new band on the scene and I will certainly be keeping a keen eye on their development. They remind me slightly of Pkew Pkew Pkew and they’ve done alright for themselves. Hopefully Youth On Drugs can find similar success.

Stream and download No Slow TempOs on Bandcamp here.

Like Youth On Drugs on Facebook here.

This review was written by Colin Clark.

Album Review: Mob Neutrality by The Brass

The Brass are a five piece melodic hardcore band from Portland, Oregon. Consisting of Matt Forbes on lead vocals, Ryan Brodie and Brander Mercer on guitars, Adam Martin on bass and Neil Bryan on drums, the band released their latest EP Mob Neutrality in August. After some very positive recommendations from friends I decided to check it out.

Mob Neutrality opens with Audience. Starting out with a rolling drumbeat, the song wastes little time in getting to the real meat of the song. Forbes’ vocals are the thing that struck me first, they have a raspy and powerful quality that give the band some urgency to their sound. The guitars and drums give the track its energy and the two combined create a magnificent sound. Audience is about looking back at your past and thinking about how the things you did then affect what happens in the present. Great Dying has a longer introduction which does a great job of building towards the vocals. When the vocals do begin there’s a feeling of anger in Forbes’ voice that really made my ears prick. I wanted to know where this would go. I really enjoyed the switch to a more melodic chorus, allowing the track to really get into your head. It also allowed the heavier sounding verses to have more of an impact. The track looks at how generations have not looked after the world and how it will affect people in the future. The third track, Post Election Day, was released as a single before Mob Neutrality’s release. Listening to the song it’s clear to see why. The opening hey! hey! hey!s welcome you into the song and immediately make you feel involved. The song sets itself up to be shouted along to by a passionate crowd in a sweaty bar or basement. Post Election Day is about being angry and upset after the election and the disbelief that people wouldn’t have voted for the winner. I would assume that this song is a direct response to the fact that Trump got elected and how hard it is to fathom that this happened.

The fourth song, No Avail, starts with a nice little bass line from Martin that leads us nicely to a mid tempo song about keeping trying to push forward despite all of the trials and tribulations that life throws at you. This song really allows the guitars to stand out and there’s some serious shredding going on. Think A Wilhelm Scream or, in the UK, Darko and you’ll get what I mean. The song is packed with hooks that really draw you in and will have you wanting to listen over and over again. Don’t Hit Send is the first track on the EP that plays around with its tempo. This really helps keep the listener listening intently to Mob Neutrality. I really like the subject that The Brass address on this song. It’s about thinking through the messages you send online and how easy it is to write something in the heat of the moment and then regret it afterwards. Since the creation of the Internet and social media it’s become too easy to be offensive and be able to hide behind your keyboard and it creates a horrible world for everyone. The penultimate track is named The Sibling’s Song. Perhaps unsurprisingly this is a deeply personal song about protecting a loved one. It certainly feels like the most emotional song and, at times, you can hear some hurt in Forbes’ vocals. I enjoyed the use of gang vocals and harmonies during the song, these added an extra level of emotion to the song. It’s something I wish the band had done more throughout the EP. The final song is Citizen You. As with all good releases, the band save one of the most powerful songs for last – ensuring that Mob Neutrality ends with a bang. After a slow build that lets you know things are about to go off, it feels as if the song goes at full throttle for the majority of its duration. It leaves you breathless but in the best possible way. It’s another track that really allows for some big crowd participation and I’m always here for that. Superb way to finish the EP.

Melodic hardcore isn’t always my go to sound when picking things to review but I’m glad I was pushed towards Mob Neutrality. The undoubted highlight for me was Matt Forbes’ vocals, they really give the band their own unique sound. If you like bands that shred and gruff vocals with interesting song content then The Brass are a band you should be listening to.

Stream and download Mob Neutrality on Bandcamp here.

Like The Brass on Facebook here.

This review was written by Colin Clark.

Album Review: For Those About To Pop! by The Yum Yums

Europe has long had a endless amount of fantastic Ramonescore pop punk acts. One I’ve been a fan of for years is Norway’s The Yum Yums who produce some of the most sugary sweet pop punk around. Earlier this year the long running band released their first album in seven years with the release of For Those About To Pop! When I realised it had been released, I couldn’t wait to listen but it has taken me far too long to get round to reviewing it. Here is that review.

The album begins with its title track, For Those About To Pop! If you’re new to The Yum Yums then this is a great introduction. It’s a song dedicated to the fans of Ramonescore pop punk that has a fantastic summer vibe. The vocals are of a higher pitch, similar to Intruder Blue from Masked Intruder, and are at times joined by some great harmonies. The second track is titled Baby Baby and starts with some crunching guitars before we move towards a higher tempo track. As you might expect from this style of music, it’s a real ear worm and you’ll be helping out with the backing in harmonies in no time at all. Unsurprisingly, a lot of songs on the album are about falling in love and relationships. It can get a bit samey but it’s kind of what you would expect from The Yum Yums. Bubblegum Baby continues the theme. The song has a throwback style with a hint of 60s pop rock and some harmonies that The Beach Boys might be proud of.

The fourth song is titled Lie To Me. The track is about telling white lies to make a person feel better about themselves and giving them an ego boost. I liked the originality of this song as I’ve never heard a band sing about this subject before but I’m sure it’s something a lot of people listening to it will relate to. Sometimes it is nice to be told little fibs that make you feel good. Up next is She’s Got Everything and it was one of the stand out songs on my first listen of For Those About To Pop! This is another hugely relatable song for anyone who’s ever been unlucky in life as it’s about meeting that special someone who, in your eyes, is perfect but not being able to be in a relationship with them. It’s one of the saddest song on the album but also one of the best. Let’s Go Crazy begins with the traditional “1-2-3-4” before launching into the song. Another more up tempo track, here The Yum Yums sing about letting go of your inhibitions and having some fun. This is a hugely fun and enjoyable song that’s great for letting off some steam and putting a big smile on your face. Can I Come Over sees the band jump back into the rock ‘n’ roll realm. It sounds like there’s also some cowbell which is interesting. The track is about feeling like an outsider and wanting to get into the party, again a really relatable song for anyone who’s felt like they’re on the outside looking in.

The second half of For Those About Top Pop sees the band break out a keyboard for the first time. Crush On You shows off a slightly different sound for The Yum Yums. The song is super simple in format but the keys do a magnificent job in giving the song a fresh feel. Crush On You is about simply that, having a crush on somebody and letting the person know. Summertime Pop is about spending your summer holidays listening to your favourite music and having a wonderful time. It feels like there is a bit of irony in the song. It plays like the sort of song you’d listen to on a summer road trip for some time away but it’s about staying home. It’s a faster song that stands out amongst some of the other songs on the album. The tempo is increased further on Say You’ll Be Mine and we’re really in Ramones territory here. There is a brilliant mix of three chord pop punk and Beach Boys here with some frankly incredibly harmonies and 60s rock ’n’ roll. Imagine The Queers but with less of a snarl. This was another favourite of mine on the album; I loved the energy that The Yum Yums have on this track. The eleventh song, Let’s Worry About Tomorrow, has a more serious and darker tone to anything we’ve heard previously. It’s about trying to live in the moment and not worrying about the future. This more serious sound came as a surprise and gave the band a different dimension after ten fun and breezy pop songs.

First Move sees the band revert back to their fun pop punk sound. I can fully see this song appearing on a romantic comedy flick at some point. It’s so infectious and catchy and I can really imagine the montage with the hot young stars of today being awkward around each other and trying to make the first move with each other. I like when songs create imagery. The penultimate song is titled The Kind Of Girl. This is classic Yum Yums. It’s about having the girl you think is perfect for you and living with the thought that someday she will find someone better and break your heart. It seems as if the band are saving their sadder tracks for the end of the album. It is a sad song but also another that’s probably so relatable for a lot of people, I’m sure we’ve all had moments of self doubt in relationships at some point in our lives. The fourteenth and final song is Can’t Get Enough Of Your Lovin’. Finishing the album on a happier note, this track is about being infatuated with your loved one. There’s a classic rock feel to the song that ensures you’ll be tapping your toes and bopping your head along to the track. The song has a fun big finale that guarantees the track and the album ends with a bang. I loved the placement of the song on the album. The entire album is super infectious and as soon as I finished listening to it I had to put it on again.

For Those About To Pop! is one of the best pop records I’ve heard in years. It’s not something for the hardcore punk rockers but if you love fun, (for the most part) happy songs that make you smile, get stuck in your head and have you doing your best boogie, then this is an album I really recommend you check out.

Stream and download For Those About To Pop! on Bandcamp here.

Like The Yum Yums on Facebook here.

This review was written by Colin Clark.

Album Review: Blue Hearts by Bob Mould (by Chris Bishton)

By my reckoning, Blue Hearts is Bob Mould's thirteenth solo album. That's more than the combined output of Hüsker Dü and Sugar. It also comes just over a year after his last album, Sunshine Rock, was released and is his fifth in the last eight years. By any measure, that's pretty bloody prolific. So, does another album mean his standards have dropped? Not a chance! In fact, I say this new one is Mould's best in those last eight years.

With Blue Hearts, Mould is clearly fired up. I've always said that of all the bands I've seen live, throughout both my youth and adulthood, Bob Mould is consistently and without doubt the loudest of them all. Now, with this new album it's like he wants to inject that fabulous, ear ringing sensation directly into my brain. It's an album stacked with raging, passionate and angry songs with the familiar socio and political commentary we'd expect. Overall there's 14 tracks and only one of them is longer than three minutes. It demands to be played loud and it demands that you pay attention. Mould certain holds firm to his punk roots with this one.

Having said all of that, the first song is nothing like that! Heart On My Sleeve is an acoustic track. For a moment I think my stylus is knackered or the record is defective because, much as I love my vinyl, there's almost too much crackle on this. But I quickly realise this is part of the recording, almost as if it's intended to sound analogue. However, it isn't what I would call a typically beautiful acoustic punk song. Rather, it's haunting, referencing everything from climate change to broken government and he then sings "we're going to war, we're going to die." Whatever you do, don't put this one on your Christmas morning playlist.

From here on though, he cranks it up. Next Generation is an absolute blast. It's got a Hüsker Dü-esque zing to it and sets you up for the core of the album that follows.

Sadly, American Crisis could be about anything – George Floyd, the rise of far right, just anything the Trump administration says or does or the coronavirus. "Wake up everyday to see a nation in flames," he sings, "world turning darker everyday in a fucked up USA." Straight up, cataclysmic, matter of fact punk rock commentary, from a man that was singing about a US administration's mishandling of another health crisis with Hüsker Dü back in the 80s when Reagan refused to accept the threat, importance and even the existence of AIDs. "Never thought I'd see this bullshit again, to come of age in the 80s was bad enough," he screams. It's so depressing he's able to draw these parallels decades apart, but it's the best and most passionate track on the album.

Fireball follows and is another really punchy song with Hüsker Dü vibes, but the album then seems to pause for breath with Forecast Of Rain. It's sung emotionally, is slower and thoughtful. But, this direction is short lived. When You Left and Siberian Butterfly come next, cranking up the pace and fervour again. I particularly like the latter, Siberian Butterfly – a singalong song if ever I've heard one!

There are a couple of moderately slower songs as the album draws to a close, but they're still punctuated with bangers like Racing To The End, Password To My Soul and Little Pieces, before it finishes with The Ocean – a longer song that starts sedately enough before that tranquility is shattered by crashing guitars and feedback.

This really is Mould's best album for a while. That's not to say his others have been duds either! I always told myself that the day Riot Fest pulled off another coup by getting Hüsker Dü to reform would be the day for me to cross the Atlantic to go to that festival. That, sadly, can now never happen, but for me the next best thing will be getting to see him perform these new songs mixed in with all his previous classics. Blue Hearts is fast and furious, with echoes of Candy Apple Grey era Hüsker Dü. I love it and, if you're a fan of those previous high standards, you'll love it too.

Stream and download Blue Hearts Bandcamp here.

Like Bob Mould on Facebook here.

This review was written by Chris Bishton.

Album Review: Attention Economy by Launch Control

Reading three-piece Launch Control have recently released a brand new EP named Attention Economy and it’s really good. To be honest that should be enough for you to go and check it out but, if you need to know more, read below.

The five track EP begins with Zombigots. I was quite surprised when the song started acoustically. This quieter sound really made me listen to the lyrics of the track. It’s not long before the song switches to full band however. I liked the contrast of the sombre acoustic beginning and the angry full band conclusion. The track is about how the UK is full of older, bigoted people and how it’s time for an uprising to make a change. The song is just over a minute long but packs in a lot in to start the EP brilliantly. The second song is the EP’s title track, Attention Economy. I was immediately struck by the delivery of the opening lines, with just the vocals delivered in a punchy way and some drums before some melodic guitar joins in. The way the vocals are delivered throughout the entire EP really interested me, there’s a rap-like style to them that gives Launch Control a different sound to any of their peers in the melodic skate punk scene. The song takes aim at the way in which products are advertised online and how the Internet has algorithms to show you things that it has learnt you like form searches. It’s really scary how much data companies have about you and this song brings that to light.

Cult Of Ignorance starts in more of a traditional melodic punk style. It has me thinking of a less raspy Rise Against and I love that. As the track progresses, the band get a bit more experiment with some additional synths giving the song a wonderful atmospheric quality. I’m pretty sure they also use the same sound effect that the Transformers use when they transform. I really hope that’s true. The track is about those fine folk (sarcasm) who spew out their uninformed, uneducated views and won’t listen when people try and retort with their own side of an argument. The penultimate song is titled Paper Tiger. Paper Tiger is about the person who seems to be the most powerful not being as strong as they think and the people beneath them coming to take them down. Again, Launch Control are not afraid to add different sounds and styles into their music, making them so engaging. One slight negative about the song is that I felt that the final moments of the song were crying out for some gang vocals, but to be fair I love gang vocals in every song. The final track is the five minute long Marketing For Martyrs. Sometimes I feel like I overuse the word epic when describing songs but I can’t think of a word that fits this song better. This is an emotional and powerful song that truly takes you on a journey. The track begins with what’s basically a spoken word section, before moving to uptempo melodic punk before finishing with what I can best describe as a hip hop/rap style. It’s incredible how Launch Control have moulded these styles together so well. If I could only pick one song from this EP to see live it’s Marketing For Martyrs. It’s such an impressive song and the perfect ending.

Despite being aware of Launch Control for a couple of years now, this is the first time I’ve given them a proper listen and I’m so impressed. What I loved was how fresh they sound compared to a lot of bands in their genre. If you, like me, are finding the melodic skate punk style a bit stale then you really need to check out Attention Economy.

Stream and download Attention Economy on Bandcamp here.

Like Launch Control on Facebook here.

This review was written by Colin Clark.

Album Review: First Day by Jerks!

I discovered West Virginian pop punk band Jerks! on a recent Bandcamp Discovery binge (my favourite thing to do). I didn’t find much I liked that day but Jerks! put a massive smile on my face as I’m a sucker for good pop punk. Way back in February, which after all that’s happened this year feels like a lifetime ago, they released their debut EP First Day on Punk & Disorderly Records. Here’s what I thought about it.

The first track on the EP is I Don’t Care which the band also released as a single in 2019. It’s an upbeat and energetic song about getting out of a relationship and acting in a destructive way to get over it. Truth be told, this is your standard pop punk sound – it certainly doesn’t reinvent the wheel but (pardon the pun) I don’t care because it’s a lot of fun. The tempo is fantastic and it is really catchy. I like energy and I love to sing along to a song so this is great. Up next is Blabbermouth which has a slightly more serious tone. It’s such a contrasting sound to I Don’t Care and shows that Jerks! aren’t just one trick ponies. I enjoyed the way the guitars are crunchy at the beginning and how they build towards a more melodic vocal style. The use of gang vocals on the chorus is a particular highlight of mine and it encourages some great crowd participation, when that can be a thing again. Lead sing KC also shows some great emotion in the track.

The third song is the fifty-five second long GFN. I was surprised to find a short, acoustic song at this stage of the EP. At first I thought it kind of killed the EP’s momentum a little bit but in fact it leads nicely into the fourth song. GFN, which stands for Good Fucking Night, is an extremely sad song about someone who is struggling with mental illness on an emotional night. It leads into Anywhere To Go which starts in an abrupt manner. The band really bring the pace and energy back up on this track. It continues along the theme of mental health and wanting to be somewhere that you’re not needed and can just be. Sometimes all you need is to be with people who don’t expect anything from you. These two songs could be somewhat cathartic for anyone going through similar things. With the two songs sounding so different it really gives a feeling of going through the highs and lows of mental health.

The penultimate song is titled Our Ex. On this song Jerks! return to the pop punk style with some repetitive choruses and plenty of “whoa-ohs”. The band do throw in some little surprises to keep the sound fresh including a raw emo scream and a short but sweet ska beat. The track continues the theme of mental health and how it feels like your mind is deteriorating. I enjoyed the joyfulness of the track despite its sad nature. It will make it easier for people going through similar things to realise they are not alone. Last up is You’re So Cool, Brewster. The opening guitar riff felt almost like an alarm going off to signify that this song is going to be a big one. The short structure of the lyrics gives it the feeling of being a big sing-along and I loved it. The song is about trying to reconnect with someone who doesn’t want to and ultimately wishing them well. Jerks! finish the EP with my favourite song of theirs. It’s great.

First Day is a great debut release from Jerks! It shows a band not afraid to play around with their sound and also one that doesn’t shy away from tackling some heavy subjects. There’s a lot of potential here and I’m interested in seeing what they do next.

Stream and download First Day on Bandcamp here.

Like Jerks! on Facebook here.

This review was written by Colin Clark.