Mom’s Basement Records/I Buy Records, September 25, 2019
Neck and Ratbones pump out the dumb jams
Before ever listening to Split E.P., I had a pretty decent idea of what I was getting into: mostly catchy Ramones-inspired punk with precious little thinking necessary. That’s not meant as a slight, mind you. Simple dumb music rates pretty highly for me. It’s only to say that if you’re wanting for intellectual mission statements on society or something, it’s probably best to look elsewhere.
The Neck side of Split E.P. opens with “Ha Ha Hertz”, with its stop-and-go beginning that then blasts forward with some buzzsaw guitars and driving drums and a sort of maniacal vocal that is really reminiscent of HEAD, complete with a “ha ha” laugh. It’s what I expect, nothing more, nothing less. But that’s ok, because I like what I’ve come to expect. The other Neck offering, the wonderfully titled “Morrisey’s A Creep” is another typical Neck song. More buzzing guitars, repetitive and singalongable vocals, and snarky dumb lyrics. And more hookiness. Also, now with a bit of noisy lead guitar thrown in. I like it.
Italy’s Ratbones keeps up the Ramones trajectory, though the guitar leads and backing vocals on these songs seem a little more complex next to the Neck side. “Broken Again” has an addicting lead guitar line that sounds ripped from an old Screeching Weasel record. Actually, the whole song sounds a bit like an old Screeching Weasel song, save for the lead vocalist sounding a bit less snotty and a bit more husky-voiced than Ben Weasel. The other song on the Ratbones side, “Cruel Sea”, is ok. I’m not as enamored with the backing vocals on this one. It’s got a bit of a darker feel to it and the lead guitar is cool, but not the earworm found on “Broken Again”.
Split E.P. is a cool concise collection from a couple of current pop punk stalwarts. Nothing unexpected and no garbage. Just two really good dumb songs, one really good less dumb song, and one pretty decent one. Worth a listen.
You might like this if:
- You like dumb and catchy punk rock
You might not if:
- You like your punk rock complex and thoughtful
ryan is a reviewer and news editor for TGEFM. He’s very secretive, he might be an alien.
