SBÄM Records- 13 AUG 2021
Austrian punks, The Rumperts, turn in one hell of a fun and rollicking debut.
The Rumperts aren't exactly breaking new ground in the punk rock world, but their debut LP, Escapism, resonates with a wild energy that's not only fun, but infectious as well. The album kicks off with the frenetic and mile-a-minute “Volcano of Hell” that's full of spite and venom. “Fill the Cup” is a bit of a slower punk song, paying tribute to a friend who took their own life, and it's definitely poignant enough to elicit a tear or two. “Girlfriend” is a pretty funny song about dating someone who has no interest in punk rock.
One of my big pet peeves in almost all of rock music is that bands seem to think that the backing vocals have to be from someone of the same gender as the lead singer, even if there isn't actually anyone in the band who's the same gender as the singer and it takes some studio magic of the lead singer basically singing backing vocals for themselves. I don't know what's so terrible about a female singer having male vocals backing her or visa versa. Well, thankfully, The Rumperts seem to have the same pet peeve as me, as their male lead singer is frequently backed by the other three members of the band who are all female, and the vocal contrast works wonderfully. They first utilize this on “Girlfriend,” but the contrast between male and female vocals really shines on the band's cover of Jerry Lee Lewis's 1957 piano-rock tune, “Great Balls of Fire,” which translates surprisingly well to a guitar-centric punk song. Some of the lyrics are changed slightly, such as “I'm gonna love you like a lover should” being replaced with a line that's a bit more crude and vulgar, but that kind of fits with the translation to a punk song. The last track, “Some Kind of Hope,” which I assume has to be a reference to The Misfits' “Some Kind of Hate,” is a pretty acoustic closer, even if the lyrics get a little silly.
However you look at it, this is a pretty strong debut, but it definitely shows some room for improvement. The Rumperts are undoubtedly talented, but they sound like they're still trying to find an original style to separate them from the crowd. Regardless, if you're just looking for some down and dirty, fun, loud punk rock, Escapism will not disappoint.
Julie is punk rock, lesbian time lady from the future. The greatest things in the world are punk rock and science fiction. Check out her website JulieRiver.com!
