Labels: Boss Tuneage
Review by: Laurence Olsen
Hard-Ons have been going, with minor mainstream success, for more than 20 years now and yet had never before reached the ears of this particular listener. I was a little worried I’d be met by a band sounding as though they’d been knocking out their particular brand of punk for 20 years and were quite happy to rest on their laurels. Thankfully, this was not the case.
There are easily 2-3 albums worth of ideas on “Alfalfa Males…” most of which sound more fresh, energetic and, when suited, sincere as many bands half their age. Opening track “Feisty” is an achingly sweet pop nugget with the singer sounding like a pining teenager all over again. It’s feels a bit of a shame when the brash rodeo-punk of the second song rudely interrupts the moment.
However, another keening power-pop song follows shortly, in “Everyone Seems to be Out to Get You”, eschewing a Sugar-esque ability to repeat a jangling hook over and over then building and building on it until it all turns massive and wonderful.
After that it’s more or less a balls-to-the-wall rip through sub-one minute hardcore thrashes, some of which hit, some of which don’t. Solos and riffs fly past in a blur and you can’t help but think it could do with a little refining at this point.
And the album certainly could benefit from a little streamlining. A number of comedy-power metal songs go past which sound as though they must’ve been a hoot to record but end up being slightly less than enamoring for the listener.
As an album it’d be a perfect way to accompany you as you get ready to go out as it’s generally very big and a lot of fun or, as I suspect will be more likely for myself, whilst having a little drunken boogie in your own bedroom.
However, if Hard-Ons stuck to making more glorious pop-punk I’d start buying their back catalogue for certain.