Review / 200 Words Or Less
Captain, We're Sinking
...With Joe Riley

Evil Weevil (2011) Matthew Cebreros

Captain, We're Sinking – ...With Joe Riley cover artwork
Captain, We're Sinking – ...With Joe Riley — Evil Weevil, 2011

Captain, We're Sinking don't reinvent the wheel with their new 7" release. They aren't pushing any boundaries. Hell, they essentially rip-off The Lawrence Arms with no shame. But I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy every second of it.

With Joe Riley provides three tracks of incredibly catchy and well-done melodic punk. "The Ballad of Ichabond Crane" starts things off right with a riff that will be stuck in your head for hours. After just a few listens, I found myself singing along to every word. The hooks are infectious, and the vocals suite the music very well. "Manners Are Their Own Reward, Gentleman" is more abrasive and less catchy than the opener, but still a blast. "Foster Brothers" reinforces the comparison to The Lawrence Arms with lines like "I'm drowning in the smell of alcohol, burning paper and nicotine", but the song is so well-done that I found myself not caring that I was essentially listening to Lawrence Arms Jr.

It clocks in at just over 6 and a half minutes; just long enough to grab your attention and show you a good time. Pick this up just in time for spring, roll down your windows, and enjoy.

Captain, We're Sinking – ...With Joe Riley cover artwork
Captain, We're Sinking – ...With Joe Riley — Evil Weevil, 2011

Related features

Signals Midwest / Captain, We're Sinking

Interviews / Fest 13 • November 12, 2014

Related news

Run for Cover Records adds Captain, We're Sinking

Posted in Labels on October 15, 2012

Recently-posted album reviews

Place Position

Went Silent
Blind Rage Records, Bunker Park, Poptek, Sweet Cheetah (2026)

There’s a certain kind of band that makes sense immediately once you see them live. Place Position is one of those bands. Before Went Silent ever landed on my speakers, I caught them at a show I played in Dayton, and they were the kind of band that quietly steals the night. There were no theatrics, no posturing, just total … Read more

Twenty One Children

After The Storm EP
Slovenly (2025)

Hailing and wailing from Soweto, South Africa, rising from the ashes After The Storm comes pounding like a fierce berg wind. Don’t let this trigger your ancraophobia; they are only here (hear) to rip your sagging, middle-aged flesh from your living corpsicle sonically. Ah, Daddy—yes, Son—tell us about a time when punk was raw, dangerous, and would generally stomp your … Read more

Awful Din

Anti Body
We’re Trying Records (2026)

There’s a certain honesty that only comes from bands who’ve spent years playing to half-filled rooms, basements with bad wiring, and bars where the PA is optional. ANTI BODY, the new LP from Brooklyn emo punks Awful Din, sounds like it was built in those spaces. Not as a gimmick, but as lived experience. This is a record that feels … Read more