Spanish garage rockers Los Chicos can count the Kurt Baker Combo‘s Juancho Lopez and Rum Bar Records’ head honcho Malibu Lou among their fans, but soon, they’ll gain a larger fan base outside of their home country when a compilation of their best tracks will get a long overdue US release.
Monthly Archives: May 2021
HUNTINGTONS – Judy Judy EP
Between 1996 and 2003, Baltimore punks Huntingtons churned out a string of pop punk and Ramonescore LPs that secured a cult audience. Although never as fondly remembered as some of the scene’s bigger names during that era, their talents for Ramones obsessed riffs were more than obvious and what they lacked in household name status was made up for with industry support. At an early stage in their career, they attracted the attention of Tooth & Nail Records and legendary producer Mass Giorgini of Squirtgun, Lillingtons and Screeching Weasel fame. They also shared stages with Teenage Bottlerocket, MxPx and several other pop punk greats.
BEATNIK TERMITES – Sweatin’ To The Termites
During their early years, Cleveland pop punk/power pop trio Beatnik Termites were one of those bands that gained a cult following but never seemed to get their full dues. For most people, they will be best known for their contribution to the series of Ramones covers albums, which saw the trio covering Joey & Johnny’s 1981 platter ‘Pleasant Dreams’ in its entirety. It says a lot about the Termites’ relative lack of legacy – especially among UK punk fans – that even that release doesn’t get mentioned anywhere near as much as the Screeching Weasel, Queers, or even The Vinctives’ recordings for the same project. Make no mistake, though, Beatnik Termites are a good band, and their blend of punky power pop, bubblegum and surf rock often suggests they are more broadly talented as the scene’s biggest names. Just one listen to ‘Red Haired Girl’ (from their 2003 swansong ‘Girl Crazy!’) is proof enough. With its mix of Ramones riffs, tight harmonies and shameless barrage of handclaps, it offers a near perfect bubblegum/pop punk showcase in one neat two minute hit.
DEECRACKS – Serious Issues
Over the years, Austrian punks DeeCRACKS have often been a reliable source for good, honest, ragged street punk. Following the release of their ‘Call It A Day’ EP in 2013, the band have gone from strength to strength, but with its combination of straight up punky riffs, nods to 60s surf rock and occasional flirtation with something more commercial, their 2021 release ‘Serious Issues’ is easily one of their best LPs to date. In sixteen songs and less than half an hour, the band’s love of speed and directness is often at the forefront, but sharper songwriting and a few melodic twists also give the album a varied approach ensuring it never becomes stuck in a rut, or worse, sounds like “just another punk/Ramonescore album”. In punk terms, ‘Serious Issues’ is a bit special.
Orange 9mm’s ‘Pretend I’m Human’ to receive first ever vinyl edition
Hardcore legends Orange 9mm weren’t around for long, but their debut album ‘Driver Not Included’ truly raised the bar in terms of aggressive crossover sounds. Their subsequent albums weren’t quite as sharp, but both ‘Tragic’ and ‘Pretend I’m Human’ continued to showcase a powerful act, never willing to tread water.
Their third full length album, 1999’s ‘Pretend I’m Human’ reached out to a core of fans, but was rather overlooked by the world at large. By 2001, it was out of print everywhere and has become increasingly hard to find.