Sam North over at Traffic Street Records has put out a slew of new releases recently, and three of them showed up in my mailbox earlier this week.
Like Bats's Look On the Bright Side is a collection of anthemic punk tunes with some nice melodic hooks buried within. You'll be able to sing along to the chorus of the titular tune after one listen through, and you'll want to. That hot little number has to be a popular finger-pointer at a Like Bats show. The band is easily identifiable as Midwestern punk rock, sounding like the Dillinger Four material Paddy sings mixed with all the non-ska Slapstick songs. Of special note is the work of bassist Kyle, which drives this record -- especially the throbbing way "Pop Tops" kicks off.
When it comes to lady-fronted punk rock bands, I like a woman who can fucking belt 'em out. New Creases' Mickey can do that so well, with her voice ranging between a plaintive croon and razor-edged growl. There are points in every song where her voice shreds around the edges at the end of a vocal line, and it's thrilling every time. New Creases are one of those bands that everyone of the various message boards was only too thrilled to recommend, and I have to concur. Their blend of Superchunk pop and Alkaline Trio's emotional punk, along with the vocal harmonies make me want to drive to Ohio and see them right now.
The last new release from Traffic Street is the sixth installment in their Dangerous Intersections series. I'm not lying when I say that these are easily the best way to get acquainted with the pop-punk underground. Past installments have resorted in massive mailorder shipments to my house, because every new installment means I've found at least two new favorite bands. This one's sort of the best one yet, according to North:
So for real, 3 outta 4 of these songs were handpicked from what would have otherwise been 7" EPs. That means that you're getting the best song that every band possibly has to offer. And not to shit on anything in the past, but that selection process has resulted in what is pretty arguably the best installment yet. I'm not exaggerating when I say I've listened to this 40 times already. It's really good so get excited.
Seriously. The Humanoids track sounds like the Ergs! playing with Jawbreaker. No High Fives to Bullshit's "My Friends?" has a sludgy, almost metal sound to it, but still manages to remain poppy and catchy. That track is worth the purchase price alone.
Listen to all of Like Bats' Look On the Bright Side via the embedded player below.
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