Self-released, May 10, 2020
Stalones do aggressive punk pop for the seriously opinionated.
Stalones are a (mostly) political punk band from Milwaukee, Wisconsin that kind of seems made for right now. Through rowdy and fast punk rock with hooks and leads for days, the singer shouts orders and screams for vengeance (mostly). It reminds me a lot of some of the political punk rock from the 1980's.
On their new record, Thank You Satan, Stalones keep the music short with only one song stretching past two minutes flat. These brief bursts are kind of perfect for what they're doing, keeping the lyrics blunt and straightforward while conveying the anger at injustices and the needs for change. There's no real hiding behind metaphors on here. They have opinions, and they make sure you understand them. Take the opener “White Power Is Fucking Stupid”. Over top the revved-up and sneering pop punk hooks and backed by catchy-as-all-get-out “whoa-oh-oh” backing vocals, they pointedly go after the terrorism of the KKK and white supremacy. Nothing's left to interpretation, and the song has the glue to stick in your head and get you singing along even after it ends. “Pizza Sex Buffet” is another crazed one. It's got a chaotic descending guitar line and some more rhythmic shouted vocals, with the phrasing carrying the hooks more than the melody. And while the silly refrain “I want my pizza right now” might seem innocent enough, Stalones still bring Papa John's into sight, going after racist comments made by the company founder a couple of years back. And “Riot” and “McGruff Is a Dick” hold nothing back, calling out injustices while calling on people to get into the streets and force some change over top the same fast noisy din, even throwing a bit of ska into the mix on “McGruff”.
There are brief moments of inane reprieve. Songs like the fast and dumb “Ear Infucktion” and the quick, hooky “Milk Steak” offer nothing to think about as far as I can tell. Both are just tossed off blasts that are a little catchy and a little snotty, backing off the political stuff midway through the record, if only for a minute or two.
At only 14 minutes, you might end up spinning this Stalones stuff again. That being said, the constant racket, the teetering chaos, the shouted snotty vocals, and the thinking words can all either be pretty cathartic or pretty exhausting. It's just going to depend on where your head's at.
You might like this if:
- You're tired of escaping into dumb inanity
- You like your music with a bit of pop and a dash of danger
You might not if:
- You desperately need escapism
- You don't get down to rough and chaotic punk rock
ryan is a reviewer and news editor for TGEFM. He's very secretive, he might be an alien.