Badman/Mom’s Basement/El Topo Records, July 18, 2020
Stinking Polecats deliver their first new songs since 2005.
Piacenza, Italy’s Stinking Polecats are back. After an initial run that lasted 1996-2005 and included singles, EP’s, splits, and a couple of full lengths, they went their separate ways with Chris and Luca forming the Ramones-loving Tough. After bringing back the Stinking Polecats and playing some shows, they’ve now dropped their first new music in fifteen years, a self-titled three-song 7-inch EP.
On Stinking Polecats, the band offer up three hooky songs that all pay a debt to Ramones without doing any straight imitation. Opener “What Do You Do” starts off with a battering intro and an awesome descending guitar line before moving into a mid-tempo stomp with muted guitars and a sound that brings to mind the building verses of “I Wanna Be Sedated”. Chris’s rough vocals bring lots of melody during the verse and when the chorus gets going, the hooks go big and the guitars of Luca and Simone go with it, quickly becoming one of my favorite moments on the record. It’s a really good re-introduction to the band.
The second song, “Monday”, is a little faster and sort of bursting with energy. Following the example set in “What Do You Do”, “Monday” also intros with a cool lead guitar and the riffs are great and buzzing. And leading the charge are some more great vocals. The verses are melody-laden and then right before the chorus there’s a pause, ushering in a surprise melodic shift that goes positively optimistic as Chris sings romantically about wanting to spend the day with a girl. And the backing vocals are great on this one, too. This is probably my favorite song on here.
And Stinking Polecats closer, “Perspective”, slows down a bit and gives off a sort of swagger. Again, the vocals pull through with cool melodies and the lead on the bridge is tasteful and classy. Davide’s drums put on a nice show with some unexpected and off-kilter fills and Chris’s bass is solid holding down the rhythm. And the vocal hook that opens and repeats throughout is fantastic, singing a kind of philosophical idea: “the love that you keep and the love that you carry away, is a reflection of the things that have happened to us over the years”. I like both the idea and the hook a bunch. Another winner.
And then it’s all over. At eight minutes, it goes by quick. But Stinking Polecats offers a bunch of memorable moments. The melodies are endearing, the music is loaded with hooks, and the songs are great. I just want to sing along, and there’s lots of chances for that. Recommended.
You might like this if:
- You like mid-tempo Ramones-influenced pop punk similar to The Methadones, The Manges, and Tough
You might not if:
- You don’t want to sing along, you just want catharsis
ryan is a reviewer and news editor for TGEFM. He’s very secretive, he might be an alien.
