American Television
Scars
Smartpunk Records (2023)
There are a few basic moods to punk. American Television fall into the singalong category. This is short, fast, and predictable melodic punk – and I don’t even slightly mean that in a bad way. Scars tears through 10 songs in probably 20 minutes, balancing whoa-ohs, harmonies and punchy power chords. It all culminates in “Bittersweet” with a refrain of “Broken bones … Read more
Debt Neglector
Bad Faith EP
Smartpunk Records (2020)
Debt Neglector put this new digital EP into the world in late 2020, in part to help raise funds for Fair Fight before the Georgia runoff elections. It has five songs, ending on an Elvis Costello cover.That intro is relevant because the songs on Bad Faith are highly political in nature, so it gives an added dimension. The EP also came into being from … Read more
Talk Me Off
Cursed
Smartpunk Records (2020)
There’s a lot to like on Cursed, the debut full-length by Richmond, VA’s Talk Me Off. But as much as I enjoy the structures, the vocal tradeoff, and the political urgency, I just can’t get over the vocals on this record. They just feel flat and robotic at key moments, which is ironic for a band named Talk Me Off.This is … Read more
