Labels: Snuffy Smile
Review by: Andy Malcolm
Another high quality Snuffy Smile split between a Japanese band and international outfit. The Urchins are the Japanese based crew rocking it up on this one. Melodic punk rock that is hardly original, but certainly gets the toes tapping. Sort of in the vein of other Japanese bands like Navel and Blew, with a dash of the formers pop, the latters drive, and boths melody. Really enjoyable stuff. They also have a really great song title – “Let’s Play Boring In A Bowling Alley”, and ‘Big Takenaka’ plays drums.
The Thumbs apparently have a split 7″ lined up with that shitty old band called Dillinger 4, so I was eager to check them out in advance. And whoosh. The surging “Trust Your Dog” is a blast. Really got a bunch of the same elements as D4, that is a nuclear guitar attack, raw punk rock production, a twin vocal barrage, and chest thumping drums. Oh, plus no songs about girls. “Sprague Dawley Rats” comes off no worse than it’s companion song in the D4 comparison stakes. Reminds me a bit of Pinhead Circus’ best stuff too. So, two bang on tracks of really wild and rollercoaster, crunchy punk for you.
Great split release that you should not be without.