“I want to smash my face into that goddamn radio.”
Without rehashing the entire intro for my review for RVIVR, I really like Latterman. This is another post-Latterman band. So, now that is out of the way. With this band being a mish mash of Latterman and Small Arms Dealer, it had no option but to be great.
This album is pretty fucking fantastic. What you have here is an album full of anthemic punk rock songs. I overlooked this band in the beginning. See, I have a weird thing about album titles, and their 2009 EP title, “Shitty Rambo,” made me not even want to check the band out, even knowing the pedigree. Something about that name bugged the shit out of me. And, man, that was a mistake.
So, in 2010, this debut full length came out, and did not disappoint. The opening song “Cutesy Monster Man” might be one of my favourite “side one, track one” songs of the year. And, the strength of that song carries out through the rest of the release.
To me, though, the lyrics on this record are kind of dark (in a strangely optimistic way). For example, from the song “I Always Never Said That,” we get the following line: “if I hear another word about a better place, I’ll paint these walls with my fucking brains. You said I wouldn’t, but if I did, you don’t think I’ll go to hell for it.” This song is a pretty optimistic in the way it looks at how seriously things get taken, including things that probably are not so serious. And, that even if shit sucks, maybe you should just try and make the best of what you got. I know that sounds kind of simplistic and dumb, but it is a great idea.
Most of the record shares this vibe. In a time where shit sucks, and real communities seem to be non-existent, maybe the best thing is a record about how we all still have a chance. If we finally decide to not let ourselves get run the fuck over. Idealism is still alive in punk rock.
Like with RVIVR, I do not think I can give this a perfect score. I have that bias. But, this record is fucking great from front to back, it shares so much in common with what I loved about Latterman, and I think more records need to be as solid as this one. Let’s call it a 4.5 out of 5 (though, in my mind, it is a straight up 5 out of 5).
Buy It (donation based download)
Buy It (physical copy via Dead Broke Rekerds)
Official site (with full lyrics)
Team Reasonable 