Review: Billy Batts & The Made Men – “My Empire is Crumbling”

All Star Records – 25 Apr 2023

The young punks in Billy Batts & The Made Men have made a record that even hard-to-please older punk are likely to enjoy.

My Empire Is Crumbling is on All Star Records, which is run by Joe King and is the current home of most of The Queers releases and reissues. King also recorded My Empire Is Crumbling at his Scabbey Road Studio in suburban Atlanta, Georgia, and even pitched in some backing vocals. It would seem perfectly reasonable to expect Billy Batts & The Made Men to sound like The Queers, but that’s really not the case.

First of all, this young trio are barely men, made or otherwise. At least one of them is still in his teens. They have that undeniable manic energy that can only come from youth. There’s a little bit of pop punk melody, but also a lot of speed and snottiness. Where many younger bands make the mistake of trying to incorporate too many influences, Billy Batts & The Made Men play straight up punk that goes straight for the jugular. 

Opener “Gotta Leave” hits you with some oohs and ahhs right off the bat. The background vocals are a good contrast to guitarist/vocalist Brody’s raspy lead singing. Side 1 songs like “Dan is Awesome”, “Maniac”, “9 AM” and “Over Again” will burrow their way into your thick skull. Side 2 opener, “Weird Al Wrote Propaganda Songs”, wins the award for best song title. “Never Comes Easy” and “Rent a Friend” are probably the strongest tunes on the second half. Some are certainly better than others, but there really isn’t a bad song in the whole batch. 

If you’re afraid punk isn’t going to survive another generation, Billy Batts & The Mad Men should give you reason for optimism. These youngsters tear through the 16 tracks on My Empire Is Crumbling with reckless abandon. The lyrics can be a little lightweight, but the music is relentless. This is a pure punk record, and a good one at that, bashed out by the often maligned Gen Z. 

For vinyl fiends: My Empire Is Crumbling is Billy Batts & The Made Men’s first 12 inch after a couple of CDs and seven inches. It has nice, full color artwork, but otherwise is pretty bare bones. It’s 45 RPM and available in black only, with a plain white inner sleeve and no insert. Still, its $15 price on Bandcamp makes it a steal.