Otitis Media Records, May 29, 2020
Öldie Häwn brings the pop punk fireworks
Öldie Häwn is a pretty new punk band out of Corpus Christi, Texas. Everybody Knows, their new EP, is nine minutes of dumb fun goodness, bringing to mind some of the pop punk records that I was raised on without sounding retro. It’s a tough trick to pull off, but one they do well.
Öldie Häwn leads off Everybody Knows with my favorite song on here (and my favorite song from any of their records so far), “Babies Ruin Bands”. It’s a great title, no question, but the song is even better. It opens with some ridiculous video game synths before breaking into a super catchy pop punk song with great lead vocals, hyper melodic lead guitar, recurring synth leads, and fantastic “ahh’s” going off behind the front lines. And if that’s not enough, lines like “you used to be all for one, always ready steady go, now your baby’s got the shits, and you can’t play the show” should seal the deal. It’s so gloriously dumb and fun. If I kept such a thing, I’m pretty sure this one would be on my shortlist for favorite songs so far this year.
From there, the rest of Everybody Knows pretty much keeps pace. “Falling For You” is another catchy-as-all-get-out song with stuttered guitar parts and more great “ahh” backing vocals and harmonizing, all set to straightforward drums that don’t do any of the dumb overplaying that sometimes ruins a good thing. A couple of songs later, “Is It Me” is a dead ringer for something from Anthem For A New Tomorrow-era Screeching Weasel. Again, the sugar rush is full of hooks and Jughead-type lead guitars seem to duel on the bridge. And Everybody Knows comes to an end with a solid cover of J Church’s “UFO’s Will Crash”. It’s a straight take, but it’s a fun song and Öldie Häwn do it well.
By the time the nine minutes are up, you’re going to want to play Everybody Knows again. Öldie Häwn has a good thing going.
You might like this if:
- you like silly, dumb, and fun(ny) lyrics with just a bit of angst thrown in
- you like high energy pop punk with lots of punk buzz and speed and lots of pop hooks
You might not if:
- you’re not into music that brings both the angst and the humor
- you don’t like pop hooks with your punk
ryan is a reviewer and news editor for TGEFM. He’s very secretive, he might be an alien.
