Monster Zero Records, 1 September, 2020
The Skullingtons do nothing new. But the songs are good and they hit all the right touchstones.
The Skullingtons have been kicking around Norway for a bit. Together for six years, they’ve just now gotten together a debut full length. EN comes after a couple of EP’s that included original versions of a few of the songs on EN. And while they might fit in with the Ramonescore crowd, they also toss in a few parts that switch things up.
Some of my favorite EN songs get by on hooks and melodies that are contagious enough to drive people nuts. The dumb goofy intro song, “S.K.U.L.L.I.N.G.T.O.N.S”, has a spell-out chant that is stupid catchy. It’s the kind of song you’ll end up singing along to, and then you’ll realize what you’re doing and look around and laugh at yourself for singing such dumbness. Even better (and probably my favorite on the record) is “Jenna Is A Necrophiliac”. “Jenna” is a quick earworm of a song with repetitive lines, cool backing vocals, and maybe the most infectious melody on the record. Elsewhere, they dig a bit more into early rock and roll for influence. Both “No Spark” and “Forgetting You” play around with a bunch of doo wop vibes. “No Spark” is fairly slowed and has a nice vocal melody, but “Forgetting You” is even better because of its quicker pace. The music pops a little more than it buzzes and the backing vocals are spot on.
Some other EN songs seem to call out the ghosts of Ramones-influenced punk rock from the past twenty or so years. “Phantom Limb” and “Highschool of the Dead” both could sort of fit alongside some Lillingtons stuff. “Phantom Limb” works with a darker melody on the verses while the melody on the bridge feels out of place, like it’s been ripped from a western. But it works weirdly and ends up being pretty catchy. “Highschool” is a dumb zombie song that buzzes with energy as a contagious vocal melody leads and maybe my favorite wordless vocals on EN “whoa-oh-uh-oh” in the background. “Mentally Challenged” has some chainsaw guitars and some repetitive chants that’ll dig into brains, reminding me of Riverdales in the end. And “Cali Nova” has some of the toughest guitar riffs on the record.
EN is nothing to rewrite the history of music. The Skullingtons just seem to get some catchy melodies bouncing around their heads, and then they pull them off on record. This thing is pretty slathered in catchiness and hooks are all over the place. Contagious, indeed.
Favorite song: “Jenna is a Necrophiliac”
Favorite moment: “whoa-oh” backing vocals on “Highschool of the Dead”
Favorite whatever else: “Phantom Limb” is a heck of a Lillingtons rip
ryan is a reviewer and news editor for TGEFM. He’s very secretive, he might be an alien.
