Stardumb Records, May 1, 2020
Mikey Erg pens an endearing “love letter” to the 7” records of his youth
Simply, Mikey Erg is one of the more significant and seminal people in the punk rock community. He’s played a bit of everything, whether drumming with bands like Dirt Bike Annie, The Unlovables, House Boat, and Worriers, driving the beloved pop-punk mavens The Ergs!, or going solo, Erg’s tentacles reach far and wide. His newest solo endeavor, Bon Voyage, is his “love letter” to the 7” records that hit him so hard.
Bon Voyage is bursting with a sort of live energy. The first song, “Bon Voyage”, wastes no time getting up to speed. It takes off from the opening crash and gives off the sort of exhilarating feeling I got the first time I put on “First Song Side One” on dorkrockcorkrod. Great hooks and instantly driving guitars cuddle in with relationship words. Lines like “I just can’t get you out of my mind, you show up in my dreams” and “sometimes serenade the brick walls, stumble up the stairs, sometimes I can’t help but wonder who you are up there” play as nearly universal coming from Mikey. That same The Ergs! energy comes through on “Colleen”, a sub-2 minute blast that revels in simplicity and hope. Each verse tries to remind you that you’re not alone. The first time through, it’s “take a listen to the words some time, and then you’ll know that you’re not alone here”. The second time through is much the same, except now you’ll know that by checking out his face. By the end, Mikey’s singing “you’re not alone here” on repeat with Lydia Loveless doing some great “yeah yeah yeah yeah’s” in the background. It’s great, life-affirming stuff.
“The New Departure Blues” slows the tempo to more of a stomp. A repetitive guitar part hangs with what comes across as a post-breakup lament about retreating into aloneness. On “Departure Blues”, he’s taking on some blame for a failed relationship. Again, his way with words is kind of astonishing. Lines like “I’ve said the wrong things, for a long time, to you” and “this is a long drive for someone with no defense, I’ve spent a long time on some things that don’t make sense” land and immediately connect.
As was often standard on the 7” releases that inspired Bon Voyage, Erg works in a cover, in this case “Mother Nature’s Son” by the Beatles. While the song stays pretty true, simply speeding up and amplifying the original, the song choice is the biggest surprise on the record for me. I love the Beatles and “Mother Nature’s Son”, and Mikey’s execution is spot-on. I simply thought he’d go with a more obscure band and song choice for his cover. No matter, it’s great anyway.
So there you have it. Mikey Erg is working again, and again, he’s giving us some great stuff. Bon Voyage is something good.
Why you might like this:
- Bon Voyage has four great pop-punk nuggets
- Great hooks, no nonsense, and thoughtful, considered words
Why you might not:
- Not sure, but I don’t think I wanna know you if you don’t
ryan is a reviewer and news editor for TGEFM. He’s very secretive, he might be an alien.
