21 Jun 2024
Sorry, Less Than Jake! I’m bumping the story about your new song to this afternoon because…. happy day… Block Parent just delivered a brand new single, and we honor Block Parent in this house.
“Panic Pete!” appears to be, for now, a stand-alone single. It’s the Ontario-ans… Ontarians? first new music since the excellent 2021 LP Sick Year, Bro! (that’s my review)
A Panic Pete, which I have never heard of, is a squeeze toy where the eyes, tongue, and whatever is in the ears, pop out when you squeeze it. But the flesh colored one looks like the E.T. knock-off Mac from Mac and Me, and that’s just disturbing. The band also credits the lyrics to Shania Twain. Now, this may be a parody of a Shania Twain song but, frankly, I have no idea. Let’s roll with it anyway.
“SUBAR” off of that previous album is one of my favorite songs ever and, as a connesewer of fine music, one always treads trepidatiously when such a good album gets a follow-up. Thankfully, Block Parent doesn’t seem to have missed a beat in the intervening years, and the only huge difference between that album and this single is a fuller sound.
The playful guitar and bass are still there and, you gotta wonder, do they just have huge smiles on their faces the whole time they’re playing. Because I do listening to it. You wouldn’t expect a band to do so much in one sub-four minute song… if you didn’t know Block Parent, that is.
Whichever vocalist* it is that sounds like what Fat Mike should sound like if he wasn’t being so Fat Mike may get some grief for kinda sounding like Fat Mike, but he really ain’t. Trust me on this. Not a Fat Mike clone. His voice is both breathier and wheezier, if that’s a possible.
- Song comes from: stand-along single (maybe?)
- Listen/purchase: Bandcamp, Spotify
- Should you listen or buy: Yes
- Should you get a real Panic Pete: No?
*All three members are listed as vocalists, I just don’t which is which is when.
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.
