Review: the SUCK – “Boris Sprinkler”

Mom’s Basement Records – 2 April 2021

the SUCK play take-no-prisoners punk on Boris Sprinkler.

Let’s lead with this: the SUCK play no bullshit punk rock.  There’s nothing unique to it.  There are no pretensions or delusions of grandeur.  If you’ve listened to bands like The Vapids, Head or Neck, you’re in the ballpark.  Short, fast, power chord punk.  This one, titled Boris Sprinkler (a seemingly crafty play on Boris The Sprinkler’s Suck album, adjusting the “the’s” accordingly), is the follow up to 2019’s In-Cog-Neat-O, a record that admittedly didn’t catch on for me right away (though I did eventually come around on it).

That said, Boris Sprinkler is hitting me just right.  Maybe it’s the good vibes that I got from Bad Secret’s DEMO-ONE (a band led by the SUCK member Beau Basement and an album that was among my favorites of 2020), maybe I’ve taken quicker to the attack, or maybe I just like the songs from the get-go.  Whatever it is, this is good stuff.

the SUCK lead off Boris Sprinkler with a little Rev Norb (Boris The Sprinkler) intro tribute (one that comes up at the end of side A and again at the start and end of side B) before tearing into a tasty instrumental simply called “Theme”.  The fuzzy guitars and propulsive no-nonsense kick sets the tone for the record and reminds me of “Theme of Head” (the first Head song I heard on the Heil Head! comp).  From there, they obliterate the brain over and over.  Much like prior legends Ramones and Motorhead, the Suck  take a less-is-more pure minimalist rock and roll approach on songs like the melodic party song “Who Brought The Tits” and the stupidly infectious mid-tempo riff-monster “No Bingo, All Nerds”.  And “Hash On The Dash” follows nicely, beating on the brain with some great guitar that really hits like a Riverdales number, lyrics that namecheck The Vapids and uses lines like “Jesus is my co-pilot, okay”, and a catchy vocal hook.  The band refers to themselves as “street rock” and these songs really show that off.

So yea, the SUCK know how to be tough with their punk rock.  But they also know how to drop some catchy ear candy that hints just a bit at a pop side.  Really, maybe my four favorite songs on Boris Sprinkler have a touch of sugar to each of them.  Sort of melancholic/nostalgic closer “J Prozac On A BMX Bike” is maybe the most melodic of the bunch with some great lead guitar and a chorus that’s catchy as can be.  “(I’m A) Secret Agent” is a faster one with a cool vocal cadence, a terrific chorus melody, great “ooh ooh” backing vocals, and Aston Martin-referencing lyrics.  One of the catchiest on here.  Elsewhere, the absurdist “Jug Jackets” is another of the fuzz-filled hookfests, with a “j-u-g-j-ack-ets” spell-out singalong.  And maybe my favorite ends up being the lead single “Fantasy Beer League”.  It’s another dumb party song, but the repetitive “drinking all day” hooks won’t get out of my brain.  The verses have hooks, too, and they do a cool alternating vocal thing on the outro.  They still hang with the tough “street rock” thing, but the hooks on these make them hit even harder.

Boris Sprinkler is a fun no-mess record.  the SUCK destroy 10 songs in 20 minutes, give or take, and they are full-on energy and buzz and pop.  Good stuff.

Favorite song: “Fantasy Beer League”

Favorite moment: the chorus melody on “(I’m A) Secret Agent”

Favorite whatever else: the brain snakebite that is “Hash On The Dash” is tons of fun