Self-released, 6 December 2020
Lookit, Martians! do some pretty standard pop punk stuff, but the songs kick pretty right.
Mannheim, Germany’s Lookit, Martians! just want to have some fun. The band was formed with members of The Barbecuties, taking their cues from Ramones, Green Day, Teen Idols, and Teenage Bottlerocket. On their new (and debut) EP, From Galaxies Beyond, the four piece power pop punk band plays three good songs that buzz and pop, hitting a bunch of right notes and ending up a band to pay attention to going forward.
From Galaxies Beyond‘s opener “I want out” kicks off at a quick pace with some buzzing-then-chugging rhythm guitar and a bunch of great lead guitar. Lead vocals (done by Fee, I believe) sing a cool melody with touches of angst and melancholy and the girl-boy harmonies on the chorus are fantastic. It’s a pretty cool driving song. The follow up, “Drunkistan” is a swaggering mid-tempo ramble sang by Sid (again, I believe). It’s got a real poppy bounce and stomp and a simple melodic guitar riff. But the real trick is in the vocal hook on the bridge and the girl-boy harmonies (once again) on the chorus. It’s an easy singalong. The closer, “Drop the gloves” is the speedster of the bunch. Moving along at double time, the guitars buzz and the hook on the chorus worms into my brain real quicklike. It’s super straightforward, but the lyrical phrasings on the verse are really odd and contagious and the backing vocals on the chorus really set it off nicely. It’s the third good song of three. Not bad.
Lookit, Martians! are a good time. From Galaxies Beyond isn’t going to take much of your time, and it won’t overstay its welcome. The three songs aren’t earth-shattering and they don’t make me tilt my head wondering what I just heard, but they aren’t supposed to. Instead, the songs are plain good, hook-laden numbers and I get the feeling more goodness will be coming. Certainly worth your short time.
Favorite song: “Drop the gloves”
Favorite moment: the bouncy hooks and melodies on “Drunkistan” are pretty awesome
Favorite whatever else: the girl-boy harmonies on “I want out” hit right
ryan is a reviewer and news editor for TGEFM. He’s very secretive, he might be an alien.
