Labels: Cat N’ Cakey
Review by: Joe Caithness
Finally got round to buying this after grabbing the When All Else fails split 10″ on a whim, really glad I did now. This record is actually almost a year old now but is still readily available and very much not dormant. The stuff I had heard previously was just really good riffy melodic punk, in the HWM Gainesville kind of style, but this seems to go off in a slightly different direction. The guitar work is more metallic and the drumming is a little less “4 to the floor”, plus the noteable addition of female vocalist (this being the first record with her featuring), its a great touch. Lyrically, it’s nice to see punk bands with pop sensibilities addressing real issues and speaking out about their personal politics. Sticking out are the lyrics to “those girls are beautiful, those girls have napalm”; and alternative take on how taxes are spent in times of strife abroad. More UK bands need to apply their politics to their music I feel.
The artwork on this is just right, not too overblown, but there is enough effort to spot it on your record shelf. The sleeve and lyric sheets are sky blue with white and black text with images of war/militancy, which is kept low key enough to go just right with the lyrics. The vinyl itself is a lovely clear slab with splatters of blue and black, which is a nice finishing touch.
All in all, I didn’t know quite what to expect from this record, and I am pleasantly surprised.