First Impressions are whiz-bang reviews of singles, 7″s, EPs, and LPs which are given a review after a single listen. This is a great way for TGEFM to showcase some of the releases which may not get a full review on their own.
Faster and Louder Records, 01 Oct 2022
The Suck are one of my favorite dumb street punk bands, with Boris Sprinkler fully converting me to their cause. And Johnny Terrien and the Bad Lieutenants’ fantastic Ramones-loving punk rock has been on my radar for a few years now. Put the two together for another in this Faster and Louder split series (following the Dave Rocket and the Jobbers and The Follow Ups split) and you’ve got my attention.
As part of the series, each band covers a song from the other and then releases an original. The Suck takes on the Lieutenants “I Lost My Mind” while Johnny Terrien and company cover “Partytown USA”. Each are basic (and excellent) punk songs that hang on propulsion and Ramones-y chord progressions that hit right, no frills attached. The Suck original “Cult of the Fonz” is a mid-tempo stomp loaded with angsty attitude fitting for the title character. The backing vocals on the chorus are a nice touch and the song doesn’t let up as it drives ahead. And Johnny Terrien and the Bad Lieutenants’ original “Prisoner” is a simple song that pushes forward quicklike after the 1-2-3-4 count-in. There’s nothing new on here, but the songs are pretty killer no-nonsense punk numbers that’ll get me coming back again and again. This is absolutely in my wheelhouse.
- Favorite Song: “Cult of the Fonz”
- Album Release Date: available now
- Purchase/Pre-Order/Pre-Save: Bandcamp
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ryan is a reviewer and news editor for TGEFM. He’s very secretive, he might be an alien.
