Wiretap Records – 28 AUG 2020
Too brilliant to be this short
Melbourne, Australia’s Catholic Guilt have thrown pop-punk into a blender with folk-punk on their EP This Is What Honesty Sounds Like. The two should not be able to mix, but on this record, the result is so much greater than the sum of its parts. As the band name indicates, this is an album overwhelmed by consternation, uncertainty and self-doubt. It’s also one of the most honest albums of the last few years, combining the many common thoughts kept quiet with a raw punch.
The paradox of This Is What Honesty Sounds Like’s opener “A Boutique Affair” is that this is a track musically built to explode out of stereos at parties in suburban woods, where the smell of bonfire and burning Solo cups breeds a sense of family while lyrically there is so much said about how that sense is fleeting. When vocalist Brenton Harris asks those of us on the dark side of 30 “Are you making friends or padding out the numbers at your funeral,” it’s not because he thinks we’ve turned fake, it’s because he’s concerned that we’ve forgotten how to socialize as we mature.
Where “A Boutique Affair” leans into the pop-punk side of Catholic Guilt, “Song of the Renter” takes a hard cut into folk-punk territory, infectious and spirited like a Frank Turner with The Menzingers in the backing role. The anti-hipster sentiment and biting humor of the song will put the track on must-hear lists. More importantly though, if musicians are ever allowed to play with actual audiences “Song of the Renter” and its sing-along chorus will be an instant crowd-favorite.
Obligatory ballad “Life in Three Part Harmony” with its swelling falsetto vocalizing and steady driving rhythm is probably the closest to a filler track This is What Honesty Sounds Like contains. The successive track “The Awful Truth” on the other hand has a toe tapping rhythm that nearly belies the seriousness of the track. This song is most deserving of the five-piece’s moniker; a damning testimony to the sometimes ignored crimes committed by the Church. My personal pick for top track, “The Awful Truth” is scathing and poignant and has held up since its release as a single in 2019 on the strength of its passion..
When album closer “Nothing” begins, it comes simply too soon, twenty minutes is far too short and I need more of this band in my life. The song of loss is a comfortable, endearing, and uplifting like a grandmother’s hug, which in my personal experience is the source of most Catholic guilt.
There is a large part of me that wants to give this album a terrible review because it ended too soon and was too damn great for brevity. The songs were brilliantly crafted with smart lyrics, punchy melodies and raw and intense vocals by a group of individuals I can’t wait to hear more of.
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/
