Review: The Manges – “Punk Rock Addio”

Punk Rock Raduno/Striped Music, 25 September, 2020

The Manges do it again.  More Ramones love.  More hooks.  More goodness.

Italy’s The Manges first full length since 2014, Punk Rock Addio, is full of energy and hooks and everything that makes The Manges great.  With music going back to 1994, The Manges are pros at Ramones-influenced punk rock.  And to be completely upfront, they’re one of my favorite bands going, making Punk Rock Addio a pretty anticipated record in my world.  

Punk Rock Addio opens with a blast.  “Next To Zero” has pretty clean buzzing guitars, fast chord changes and fantastic vocal melodies, especially during the repeated and contagious “next to zero” outro.  It’s pure energy Ramones-style.  Both “Vietnam Addio” and “Endless Detention” fall the same way.  “Vietnam”’s simple-great lead guitar is insistent, laying over top an earworm guitar riff and a catchy-as-all-get-out chorus.  And I keep finding myself singing the refrain “farewell tigers, it’s gonna be alright” as the song winds down.  First single “Endless Detention” does the quick 8th note hi-hat thing and buzzing Ramones riffs to perfection while Andrea Manges sings some down-on-your-luck-things-suck lyrics while repeatedly singing the title down the stretch.  “Ice Capades” is another burner.  Again keeping to a Ramones structure, the chorus is catchy as heck with some wonderfully simple “hey girl” backing vocals at the start of each chorus line and some choice “ooh’s” in the background, too.  And nuanced additions like the use of the ride and the dirty accented guitars at the end of certain lines all make for an unforgettable song.  All of these kind of pull on the things that make The Manges fantastic – hooky lead vocals, deceptively simple and great guitar riffs, and some of the best backing vocals in the business.    

And on Punk Rock Addio, The Manges also show that they can slow things down a bit and get downright poppy without losing their edge.  “Paninaro” and “Take It On The Chin” both go mid-tempo with some of the best results on the record.  The muted guitars that go bright at the end of each verse line on “Paninaro” are good, but they lead to an even cooler bridge before opening into a super melodic “c’mon” chorus, complete with organs and handclaps (and we all know I’m a sucker for handclaps).  Might be the catchiest song on here.  Plus, it has the cool line “I’m a cool guy on a motorbike”.  “Take It On The Chin” goes at it with a similar tempo and again brings handclaps into the fray.  The guitar riff won’t leave my head and the backing vocals on the “take it on” part are some of the most endearing of the year.  Even on the silly “Tootsie Rolls”, the Manges bring the goods.  The song is pure bubblegum, with toms and handclaps and melodic basslines and persistent organs.  It would fit on the self-titled Andrea Manges and the Veterans record without a problem.  It might be silly, but it’s also catchy and charming.       

Punk Rock Addio is an awesome listen.  Front to back, the songs are just how I like them, fast, aggressive, and with enough brainwashing hooks and melodies to bring me back over and over.  Easily one of my favorites from a year that seems to be bursting with great music.

Favorite song: “Paninaro”

Favorite moment: “hey girl” backing vocals at the start of each chorus line on “Ice Capades”

Favorite whatever else: favorite lead guitar pops up on “Vietnam Addio”