Paper + Plastick Records – 7 Aug 2020
Rebirth of the skate
After the Fall have released Resignation; the perfect short fast loud skate punk record for those of us who forgot when punk could be new and dangerous. I’m old, a good amount of the kids I went to shows with two decades ago have long since outgrown the scene, an even larger majority have just planted roots in the Y2Punk Epi-Fat era, the kind of people who might check out the new The Lawrence Arms, but will never admit its better than Apathy and Exhaustion (it is). For that second grouping, After The Fall could easily become the re-entry point in the scene with this 12 minute full length.
The Albany-based four piece blast through their cuts with reckless abandon. The first three tracks top out at 60 seconds or less, but that doesn’t leave them lacking for content or musicality. Resignation cuts out all the fat and filler and slaps the listener across the face with strong bursts of angst and anger.
Album opener “I Don’t Wanna Be Around” is an immediate attention grabber with snarling female backing vocals juxtaposed over the gravelly leads before jumping directly into “UP and Down” a short, loud, and anxious blast of doubt and PMA.
If you weren’t certain that you heard an early 2000s Fat sound thus far, “No Resolve” attacks with a guest vocal from Tim McIlrath of Rise Against. The kind of song that the listener can close tehir eyes and hear the faint shattering of broken lights commonly caused by dog-piles and gang vocals in VFW halls of bygone eras. “Absent Minded” continues the journey into the world of anxiety and introversion in a public role.
“Got Your Back” the longest song on Resignation clocks in at a whopping 2:24. “November Rain” it ain’t, but just because it doesn’t have an ungodly long Slash solo or unfounded piano interlude in the middle like the Guns N Roses classic, doesn’t mean the song lacks depth or technicality.
The band attacks its haters on title track “Resignation,” attacks the disappointing friends we can’t escape on “Stranglehold,” attacks anxiety in “Panic Attacks” before calling out hypocritical behaviors on the politically charged “Decency.” The album closes with “I’m Sorry” but don’t let the title fool you, this may be an apologetic track, but there is no concession or withdrawal in the musical fury of the track.
After the Fall has crammed strong melodies with commanding power throughout the record, recalling the skate-punk bands of days long gone. Two decades ago, I have no doubt that After the Fall would have been a main-stage main-stay on the Warped Tour, instead today they have the chance to lead the rebirth of skate. The technical melodies, strong vocals and overall authoritative musicianship make Resignation a brilliant addition to the skate-punk oeuvre.
Bad Dad (occasionally called Ed) has been on the periphery of the punk and punk-adjacent scene for over twenty years. While many contributors to this site have musical experience and talent, Ed’s musical claim to fame comes from his time in arguably the most punk rock Blockbuster Video district in NJ where he worked alongside members of Blanks 77, Best Hit TV and Brian Fallon. He is more than just an awful father to his 2 daughters, he is also a dreadful husband, a subpar writer, a terrible dresser and has a severe deficiency in all things talent… but hey, at least he’s self-aware, amirite?
Check out the pathetic attempts at photography on his insta at https://www.instagram.com/bad_dad_photography/
