Happy new year, in both the Gregorian calendar AND the Universal Century calendar! What better way to start 2022 off right than with a premiere of the debut album Colony Drop by Spacenoidz which is out now, 03 Jan 2022, via OUTLOUD! RECORDS.
Despite all of their holiday merrymaking, astute readers will recall a time last year (OK… last Thursday) when we premiered the first single from new pop-punk act Spacenoidz. Well, that was just a tease for what we have in store today: twelve tracks oozing with catchy Ramonescore vibes, all of which are directly inspired by the storyline and characters from the original Mobile Suit Gundam anime series, which aired in Japan from 1979-1980 and has inspired a 40-years-long media franchise that thrives to this day!
Spacenoidz is the product of Pat McVay, guitarist/backing vocalist for Indiana's The Putz (hence the Z theme in the band names). Besides a love of classic pop-punk, Pat is also a huge fan of the Gundam franchise*. The album title itself comes from the future date in this fictional universe when belligerent forces launch a giant space colony into Earth. Meaning to strike a military base in the Amazon jungle, it ends up hitting Sydney, Australia, thus starting the One Year War that is the backdrop for the original Gundam.
When I asked Pat what inspired him to make this album, he replied:
The characters and situations that make up the numerous series and movies of the Gundam franchise just felt like they were screaming to be turned into traditional pop punk songs. And what better place to begin than the original Mobile Suit Gundam from 1979? From the concept of newtypes to ace mobile suit pilots to the lives tragically lost during the One Year War, this album explores many of the key events of that groundbreaking initial entry into the Universal Century.
For those who seem a bit lost by all that, don't worry. These songs are fun, catchy, and don't require any previous knowledge of Gundam to enjoy. But knowing about Gundam, especially the original TV series which this album covers (pretty much in order from front to back) adds an extra topping to this tasty treat. From such seemingly innocuous references (“Sleggar's Gonna Slug Her”) to major revelations about main characters (“Artesia”), there's enough here for both Gundam and Ramonescore-style fans alike to get into. As Spacenoidz call it: “Gundam-core.”
Check out the new album, in full, below. Underneath you'll find all of the links you need to stream, purchase, or simply support Spacenoidz!
Facebook
YouTube
Spacenoidz Bandcamp page (stream or purchase as digital download)
OUTLOUD! RECORDS (stream or purchase on CD or vinyl)
*I can attest to this as, full disclosure, under my hat as Asplenia Studios I was referred to Pat to do the artwork for the cover and, also being a big Gundam fan, we've had A LOT of discussion about the different parts of sprawling Gundam universe.
the white drew carey (aka – Jeff Sorley) is the founder and head editor of TGEFM. He's lived (outside of) Chicago, Madison WI, (ugh) Penn State, Lyon FR, Oxford UK, central New Jersey, and now within earshot of SFO in the Bay Area. When not scouring the web for more great bands and labels to post about, he also spends time drawing (mostly) silly sci-fi and anime stuff under the name Asplenia Studios.