Album review: Dave Strong – “I Hate Joe King’s Roommate”

Critical Mass Music – 25 Sep 2024

Veteran New England Pop-Punker returns with a well-balanced release

Dave Strong is no stranger to the punk rock world. For those unfamiliar, this New England musician has been a staple in the pop-punk “bubble” for decades.Aside from his solo work, he is mostly known as a one time bassist for the veteran band The Guts who featured Geoff Palmer. Dave has released a number of singles and one proper full length within the past five years. This 7” collects three of his more recent previously released singles in the vinyl format.

“I Hate Joe King’s Roommate” takes the A-Side spot of this three song 7” record. This is a short and fast Ramonescore blazer of a number. The song starts with the signature crunchy guitar sound that lets the listener know what they are in for. Dave’s vocals kick in with a frenzy as he sings along directly to the melody of the music. One is quickly reminded of early Queers or Angry Samoans with its intense delivery. The chorus presents a quick key change that retains the same chord progression as the verses. This is equally simple as it is effective in creating a short yet memorable track. The song ends with a short guitar lead over gang vocals screaming “I Hate Joe King’s Roommate” repeatedly.

Dave Strong takes the tempo down a bit on “Puddle Hop” which follows. This has a classic Ramones meets Beach Boys equal blend of surf and garage rock. This is a number about a dance step that all the kids can do to their music. One can say this is Dave Strong’s personal “Blitzkrieg Bop” or “Bop ’Til Ya Drop.” Doo Top style backing vocals help carry the melody of this track. This song is composed with a repetitive verse chorus verse pattern from beginning to end. 

The last song “I Wanna Know” is the perfect mix of the previous two songs. This song will take you back to the classic 90’s Lookout! Records pop-punk sound. Unlike paint by the numbers Ramonescore, Dave blends in garage rock style musical interludes throughout which makes it his own. This is another song with subtle, yet effective, backing vocals. 

I feel Dave Strong has released a well-balanced single here that showcases his love for all things pop-punk. Every influence of the genre from classic hardcore to garage and surf has been covered. Sure, these songs are not breaking much new ground, but they are successfully crafted. I appreciate a release like this where you can easily segregate one song from another. One thing that I feel plagues the pop punk bubble are releases where there is little variation between chord progression and tempo. I encourage any pop punk fan who appreciates artists who stretch the boundaries of the genre to check out this release. The physical 7″ is available over at the Critical Mass store.