First Impressions is a collection of 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.
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The Rieslinger – “Return of the Vine Louse”
Laptop Punk Records, 24 Jun 2022
Germany’s The Rieslinger plays a surf-meets-spaghetti-western-style (mostly) instrumental on this newest one. The only vocals are a few throaty yells of the title, but the rest digs into guitar lines that tremble and snake infectiously while the drums bounce and the bass holds it all together. If you find yourself listening to The Mopes records a bit, this will be right up your alley.
Review by RYAN
The Manges – “Back to Bangkok”
Striped Records/Hey Suburbia, 12 Jul 2022
Ahh, The Manges. They might just be my favorite Italian band. “Back to Bangkok”, from an upcoming full-length, is the second single. To start, the song sounds great. The Andrew Berlin Blasting Room mix is clean and pops outta the speakers. The song is also catchy as can be, with great melodies, fantastic “whoa-oh” backing vocals, brain-searing lead guitar, and lots of kick. If you typically like The Manges classic punk sound, this one’s gonna work for you, too.
Review by RYAN
Saturday Night Karaoke – “Compro(de)mise”
Geekmonger/Disaster/I Hate Smoke/Brassneck Records, 14 Jul 2022
Saturday Night Karaoke always seem to hit right with their infectious pop punk. “Compro(de)mise” has a killer guitar riff that gives off a bit of dynamics, alternating between buzz and muted chugs, and the vocal melody has me humming along by the minute mark. And backing vocals add to the sugar during the second half. Like pretty much all of my favorite stuff, this one doesn’t overstay its welcome – it just does what it does and calls it a day. Excited for the upcoming EP this comes from!
Review by RYAN
The Chats – “I’ve Been Drunk in Every Pub in Brisbane”
Self-released, 11 Jul 2022
These Australian chaos agents have been coming with lots of buzz for a while. Whenever I hear their garage-punk din, I always think it’s a raucous good time, but I don’t really find myself going and digging deeper or re-listening. I know, I know…that’s a mistake. But it’s just where I’m at with The Chats. For what it’s worth, this song from an upcoming new album brings the goods like I’d suspect. The song is all energetic and scrambling. Time will tell if this (or songs like the great previously released “Struck By Lightning” single) will hook me long term.
Review by RYAN
ryan is a reviewer and news editor for TGEFM. He’s very secretive, he might be an alien.
