On paper, this two track release from Fire Sale immediately sets a high benchmark in terms of punk. The band features bassist Matt Riddle (ex-No Use For A Name/Face To Face), guitarist Chris Swinney (ex-Ataris) and Ann Beretta’s Pedro Aida on second guitar. Along with drummer Matt Morris, that’s one hell of a line-up, and with the material recorded at the legendary Blasting Room recording studio and packaged in artwork supplied by NOFX/Lagwagon sleeve designer Mark deSalvo, there’s automatically a great expectation even before any music is heard.
Tag Archives: pop punk
THE DOLLYROTS – Christmas Time With You / The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don’t Be Late)
Since the turn of the millennium, The Dollyrots have been an important fixture on the pop punk scene. In an era where so many “punk” bands took a more emo route, vocalist Kelly Ogden and friends constantly served up classic pop punk riffs – 90s style – injected with a little power pop sugariness, which often put the band somewhere between peak blink-182 and the noisier elements of Letters To Cleo. Naturally, their often buoyant and fun approach to everything attracted Jaret Reddick and his band Bowling For Soup. Strong bonds were made in the name of friendship, and over the years, the two bands could often be found sharing a stage or three.
THE PRIZE – Wrong Side Of Town EP
Formed during the pandemic restrictions of 2021, The Prize are promoted as a power pop band, but those looking for a world of Jellyfish and McCartney inspired throwbacks should be forewarned that this band really don’t indulge in that kind of perfection or sugariness. There is a power pop heart to their sound, but it’s far more indebted to bands like The Nerves (of ‘Hanging On The Telephone’ fame) and The Real Kids, occasionally fused with the more melodic end of The Buzzcocks’ output. With a pinch of early Flamin’ Groovies and the occasional nod to fellow Aussies The Saints to be discovered along the way, this debut EP stirs up a world of energy, but matches the spiky riffs with massive, catchy hooks at every turn.
BOSS’ DAUGHTER – Okay Photography EP
Formed in 2014, US punks Boss’ Daughter [sic] quickly became one of the hardest working bands on the underground scene. During their first eight years together, they’ve played hundreds of shows and shared stages with now legendary bands like Pennywise, Rise Against and The Ataris. Although their studio output seems a little scant by comparison, this two tracker takes the band to the next level, since the vinyl edition technically makes them labelmates with No Fun At All, The Venomous Pinks and skate/pop punk heroes Pulley.
PAVID VERMIN – Dumpster Diving
Despite the global pandemic side lining most bands’ plans, Pavid Vermin made the best of the downtime, recording and releasing some great DIY punk straight from Glenn Robinson’s home studio. The resulting ‘Cutting Corners’ LP was, aside from one nasty lyrical faux pas, one of the greatest pop punk releases ever, and its timely follow-up – ‘The Beach Boys Never Surfed’ EP – suggested they’d be more future greatness from this one man project.