Mom’s Basement Records – 16 October 2020
“I’m a vandal and your heart’s what’s at stake.”
When you come across a band described as “Ramonescore,” you kind of already know what you’re going to get, however Bad Secret is not that band. Throughout Demo-One there are elements of punk that are both expected and pleasing to the ear but these guys aren’t looking to reinvent the wheel, they’re using the medium to tell a story.
Demo-One hosts 10 songs all written with intention and not out of imitation. Despite describing themselves as “Ramonescore,” I hear so much more Husker Du in these songs, like if Bob Mould was ghostwriting lyrics for Teenage Bottlerocket and Green Day. There’s little to no skating around the songwriting. You won’t find any “Saturday nights” and “all rights” in these rhymes. There’s real prose here that’s matched with the mid-tempo beat, and the combination makes for one hell of a catchy song. I get the feeling that I am participating in a role playing game while listening along and perhaps that’s the point.
Demo-One is a fine example of a pop punk homage done right. Bad Secret’s ability to tip their hats to the pop punk pioneers while also remaining true to their own sound while using their unique voice proves them to be more than just another band of leather jacket wearing bubble gum punks.
Favorite Tracks: The Measure of Magic, Into the Meres
