California’s Sunnydales might just represent the ultimate collision of Ramones influenced pop punk and retro pop culture. This three piece band take a well worn musical blueprint and apply their love of Joey and Johnny with a bigger love of 90s television hit Buffy The Vampire Slayer. You might think such a concept might be good for one release, but this second EP (released in May 2019) is every bit as good as their debut from the previous year.
Tag Archives: punk
DICKIE DEVIL AND THE DEVIANTS – Book Of The Beast EP
Creating a sound they’ve dubbed “Munstercore”, Dickie Devil and the Deviants create music that takes a hefty dose of rockabilly and punk, a decent amount of surf rock and just enough sass to create perfect additions to your Halloween themed playlists. Their 2020 digital release offers a couple of numbers which resurrect fond memories of the early 80s and of classic psychobilly fare, but with a dash of Necromantix toughness and some good pop culture thrown in for good measure.
PAVID VERMIN – Cutting Corners
Glenn Robinson is one of the great purveyors of Ramones influenced punk sounds. The Rhode Island musician was previously the drummer with The Prozacs but subsequently used his multi-instrumentalist’s skills to carve out a solo career. Each of his releases offers something to enjoy, but this third album by his “band project” Pavid Vermin (where Robinson plays everything) has the potential to be one of his best. What’s more, ‘Cutting Corners’ isn’t quite everything it appears to be on the surface. A quick look at the track listing suggests a punky romp through the songs from The Beatles’ classic ‘Abbey Road’, but behind the familiar titles lie seventeen of the purest, self-penned pop punk bangers, guaranteed to thrill fans of the style. Titles aside, no further credit goes to Lennon/McCartney.
ADVOCAAT – Yikes! EP
Pennsylvania two piece Advocaat are a punk band who truly value melody and hooks. The core of most of the songs from their debut EP ‘Yikes!’ call back to the early days of Face To Face, Down By Law and the rockier – less Ramones-y, less skate-oriented – end of the US punk scene, and each of those highlights both great playing and songwriting. What’s more, their songs don’t just recycle these influences in the same old way: as offbeat as their choice of name, the duo seem unafraid to inject these punky sounds with a couple of adventurous alternative quirks.
RADIO BLAST – In Your Face! EP
New York punks Radio Blast are one of those bands that wear their influences proudly. Not only does their brand of timeless pop punk owe a huge debt to the sounds made by Ramones back in the 70s, but almost everything they do suggests a massive love of Screeching Weasel. Their band name comes from one of Ben Weasel’s most classic songs; the artwork used their 2019 EP ‘Let’s Rock’ that bears a striking resemblance to the first edition of SW’s ‘My Brain Hurts’ and even the slightly off key backing vocals on that EP’s ‘Teenage Crush’ could’ve been directly inspired by any number of Weasel songs. What this means, of course, is that fans of the genre know exactly what they’re in for…and Radio Blast are yet another great band in a very long line of Ramonescore acts that value catchy hooks at almost every turn.