Hey Pizza Records – September 24, 2021
Introducing Rock N’ Roll High School’s most recent graduates!
While calling them a super group might be a stretch for some, the newly (or at least in pandemic times) formed Pep Talk have been around the block in Brooklyn a few times before. With past and current credits including the likes of… House Boat, The Isotopes, Weird Skin, The Steinways, Sketchy, and The (Young? New? Both? Does it matter?) Rochelles… they’re hardly unheard of. Three chords or four, feel free to pick your poison.
Live, Laugh, Labotomy starts off fast and, with only a handful moments to catch your breath, seems to only get faster. The snotty vocals and wall of hammering guitars is balanced by beautiful two and three part harmonies and simple yet searing guitar solos. From barber shop quarter to absolute barbarians, they run the gamut of pop punk past and still somehow find a way to stay fresh. It’s a little bit of everything, nostalgia and all.
They’re certainly influenced by their respective other bands and comparing them to The Ramones would be anything but D.U.M.B. because, let’s be honest, they’re certainly, unapologetically a Ramonescore band. CJ Ramone himself even makes a guest appearance on the track “Trespass.” Outside of the obvious you’ll hear distinct parallels to many a classic pop punk powerhouse, their moniker itself is even a reference to a song of the same name by The Descendents. There’s a nod to The Lillingtons in “One Of The Guys” and I can see obvious signs of bands like Squirtgun and Screeching Weasel scattered throughout. Even more contemporary eight beat outfits like The Murderburgers and DeeCracks come to mind.
During the course of the record, sometimes things start to sound similar but I don’t see that as problematic. Fans of the genre and likely the band know what they like and like what they know, myself included. There’s a familiarity in songs like “The Words We Never Say” and the previously released single, “Next To Me,” that makes you feel like you’ve been here before. They’re not reinventing the wheel, there’s really no need, bet they’re definitely putting a unique spin on it.
Not to say that there’s anything wrong with experimentation and, upon closer inspection, there’s definitely a bit of that to be found here. They dip their toes in the hardcore punk pool on “Smarter Than Me,” “Not What I Want,” and, what may be one of the shortest numbers ever recorded, “Trapped.” They also managed to sneak in some synth on “Sleepwalk Girl” and take an impressively solid stab at an a cappella outro on “Big Big Baby.”
However, one thing remains constant from start to finish and that’s the ability to quickly sing along. The hooks are catchy, the melodies are infectious, and the lovingly layered vocals and guitars are the icing on the cake. Flying through 14 songs in less than 27 minutes with only about a third of those barely passing the 2 minute mark, the album listens like a best of old school pop punk compilation or should I say playlist? Hey! Ho! Let’s Go!!!
Jerred Lazar is a make believe musician and wannabe writer attempting to survive in Washington DC
