Pirates Press Records – 12 Sep 2025
Teenage Bottlerocket are still learning new tricks and rolling steady after 20 years.
Teenage Bottlerocket are the AC/DC* of punk. While at first that might sound like an insult, it’s not at all. Very few bands are capable of sticking to a tried and true formula while keeping their records interesting, and more importantly, keeping their fanbase interested. TBR have been cranking out consistently good but similar albums for more than 20 years. It’s doubtful the Wyoming quartet would mind being compared to the Australian quintet, since they love to leave heavy metal Easter Eggs in their catchy pop punk.
*The more intuitive comparison is obviously Ramones, since TBR borrow heavily from them musically, but this really doesn’t work. Ramones frequently ventured from the path that they established on their first three records, mostly to their own detriment.
Ready To Roll is Teenage Bottlerocket’s 10th studio LP. It’s also their first for Pirates Press Records, who continues to push further into the pop punk world. (See also DeeCracks and The Riptides.) It feels familiar in all the right ways from the very first spin. Repeated listens reveal a few new tricks that show a band not afraid of (subtly) growing.
After the rollicking Kody Templeman-sung title track, and the nearly sentimental Ray Carlisle sung “She’s the Shit”, bassist Miguel Chen gets his first shot at lead vocals. The half Spanish “Taquero” is a lot of fun. Other side A highlights include “Post Mortem Depression”, the heavily new wave influenced “True To You”, and the semi biographical “All About It”.
Side B opener “I Figured Out That I’m Stupid” is vintage, self-deprecating TBR humor, but wrapped in a new wave package. “Giant Bug From Planet Q13” is solid horror punk. Hell, “What to be for Halloween” has halloween in the title. “Friend Named Fly” is a sad, slow motion acid trip, and is once again a little new wavey. So is excellent somber but hopeful closer “Afraid of the Dark”.
Something about Ready to Roll just feels a little more inspired than the last couple TBR records. Even within the musical confines of what they do best, they manage to find new ways to keep people engaged. Ten albums in, and Teenage Bottlerocket doesn’t appear to be slowing their roll.
For vinyl fiends: TBR records generally have minimal frills, but this one has a nice, two page, full color insert. Big first press too. A collector’s dream and nightmare. There were 250 gold with bonus black 7”, 300 clear with brown and yellow twist, 500 clear and brown spinner with yellow splatter, 600 clear with brown and yellow splatter, 600 brown and yellow pinwheel and 1000 mustard yellow. There’s already a send press of 1000 brown inside yellow, and also some CD and cassette options.
Part-time punk writer, suburban dad and angry old man. Follow my adventures on the Punk Till I Die podcast!