Red Scare Industries – 26 Jan 2024
None of these great songs are about pipe bombs
After a brief absence, Broadway Calls have brought back their nostalgic pop-punk on their new 7” Coming After You. Following the title, the trio from Oregon have put out a melodic punk blast of a record that chases its way into your earholes and careens deep into your brain. Broadway Calls remains positive, catchy and energetic on their latest release from Red Scare Records.
With a peach background and image of a pant-suited office worker smiling with gun in hand, the physical record presents itself as a true punk 7” without polish, while the transparent vinyl disc itself makes clear that the trio will avoid obtuse lyrics, happy to be exactly what they are… three dudes kicking ass and having a blast.
For the four tracks, Coming After You is an in your face punk record in line with many of the Epi-Fat records of the late 90s. Each song come straight ahead with a gravelly vocal sneer, pulsing drums and defiant guitar lines; a testament to the skills that create the longevity in Broadway Calls' careers.
Opening with the title track, “Coming After You,” Broadway Calls immediately squashes any thoughts the listener may have about this being another pandering brain-dead skate-punk romp. The lyrical growth of Broadway Calls that was the high point of 2020's Sad in the City is here in full force. There is an imagery and depth in the way the words tie together. The band has found a way to color in their narratives of being one step ahead, repercussions of knee-jerk reactions and the simple romance of rainy day snuggles and daydreams (but ya know, punk-ish snuggles). Broadway Calls has brought together the best elements of The Lawrence Arms, The Gaslight Anthem and Good Riddance to create their own style, something fresh while still familiar. This is melodic-punk the way it is meant to be, fun and fast at cursory glance, but the more rotations given, the more impressive it becomes. Here's to what's next, when we get to see the next phase of growth from Broadway Calls.
Bad Dad (occasionally called Ed) has been on the periphery of the punk and punk-adjacent scene for over twenty years. While many contributors to this site have musical experience and talent, Ed's musical claim to fame comes from his time in arguably the most punk rock Blockbuster Video district in NJ where he worked alongside members of Blanks 77, Best Hit TV and Brian Fallon. He is more than just an awful father to his 2 daughters, he is also a dreadful husband, a subpar writer, a terrible dresser and has a severe deficiency in all things talent… but hey, at least he's self-aware, amirite?
Check out the pathetic attempts at photography on his insta at https://www.instagram.com/bad_dad_photography/