First Impressions is a collection of whiz-bang reviews, primarily of shorter albums (EPs and singles) which are given a review after a single listen. This is a great way for TGEFM to showcase some of the releases which wouldn’t get a full review on their own.
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Dinosaur Jr. – “Garden”
Jagjaguwar Records, 2 April 2021
Dinosaur Jr. have always been a favorite of mine, a sort of meeting of the minds between the chaos of punk and the hazy drawl of 70’s heaviness. I’d also put their return up there as among the most surprising and successful. “Garden” is the new single from the upcoming Sweep It Into Space, and it’s pretty great. It’s a sauntering amble with the same quiet-loud-quiet stuff they’ve mastered by now and a really gorgeous gliding chorus and some unfathomably fuzzy guitar lead. And J Mascis’ vocal turn is one of his finest.
Favorite song: “Garden”
Grim Deeds – “Born To Be Odd”
Self-released, 30 March 2021
More Grim Deeds. “Born To Be Odd” is another pop punk number, not his fastest stuff, but maybe more amped up than the average Deeds song. The guitar riff is catchy with a touch of buzzing surf to it. Love the backing vocals near the end, adding just the right layer and setting everything off right. As with most Deeds stuff, the lyrics are insightful, too, playing on a “nobody gets me” vibe with lines like “nobody relates to me, all resent my eccentricity” and “they cannot accept, I feel so inept, they all sarcastically applaud”. More good stuff.
Favorite song: “Born To Be Odd”
The Hallingtons – “Slaughterhouse”
Monster Zero, 30 March 2021
Norway’s The Hallingtons new one, “Slaughterhouse”, is another buzzing slice of Ramonescore heaven. It’s a 1-2-3-4 “kiss off” to COVID and the past year. The chorus is catchy as can be with it’s “slaughterhouse, slaughterhouse, it’s gonna be a slaughterhouse” refrain. The hooks are pretty bubblegum and I found myself singing along in my head well after my one time through. Oh yea, the lead guitar-going into a drums only section hits pretty right. Now that the review’s over, I’ll go back and listen some more.
Favorite song: “Slaughterhouse”
Randells – “Kicks”
Self-released, 26 March 2021
The last I heard of Sweden’s Randells was the 2020 summertime blast Endless Vacation EP. “Kicks”, the title track from an upcoming album, has a lot of bounce behind some infectious guitars and melodic bass. But my favorite parts come in the “whoa-oh-uh-oh” vocal affectations at the end of some of the verse lines. It’s got a lot in common with the bubblegum punk sides of bands like The Queers and Andrea Manges and the Veterans. Oh, and the repetitive singalong chorus has hooks all over the place. This is gonna be a good one.
Favorite song: “Kicks”
Block Parent – “SUBAR”
Glue Gun Records, 05 Apr 2021
Block Parent dropped this new single along with the news that their newest LP Sick Year, Bro! will be released 07 May 2021. “SUBAR” is fast, sloppy at times, and gloriously fun. Imagine if an angrier, slightly hoarse Jack Dalrymple (Dead to Me, Toy Guitar) sang over the faster, more anthemic parts of Blink 182‘s Cheshire Cat and then multiply the results something like 20x and you’d get a feel for how much of a banger this is. If this is any indication of what the rest of the album is like (hint: I’ve heard a promo of the new album, and it is) then the whole shebang is gonna be a blast.
Favorite song: “SUBAR”
Review by the white drew carey
Teenagers – Demo 2020
Laptop Punk Records, 19 March 2021
Teenagers hit the pop punk pretty hard right outta the gate. The music sounds terrific. The Indonesian band flies through the 47-second opener (“Hitam Putih”) in, umm, 47 seconds. The second song, “Louie”, opens with a cool intro and tosses some earcandy guitar layers on top of the superfast buzzsaw they’re playing with. Closer “Segalanya” is the longest on here, pushing 4 minutes (and some might note my slight attention span), but the song has a pretty cool melody and ends up working. My language limitations means I’m not sure what they’re singing about, but I like it.
Favorite song: “Louie”
ryan is a reviewer and news editor for TGEFM. He’s very secretive, he might be an alien.
