DeeCracks

DeeCracks don’t reinvent anything, but they don’t regurgitate it either. There’s a lot of Ramones behind the experienced Austrian band, but they utilize familiar techniques like harmonies, solos, and even a surf instrumental to mix it up. It’s the kind of music that many bands try to pull off, but fail. It doesn’t sound like they’re aping their predecessors, but paying homage and having a blast while doing it. Kind of like 1990s era Lookout Records, though maybe with a bit more gruffness to the vocals and a few more nuances outside of the pop-punk canon.

While the majority of Sonic Delusions has me thinking Ramones, there are hints of street punk and ‘90s California punk bubbling beneath that verse-chorus-verse pop-punk surface. The rhythm section is the most blatant Ramones comparison, which first jumps out in the album’s second song, “Step 4,” which has that bopping feel to it with a bit of a ‘90s SoCal touch in the repetitive but memorable chorus. “It’s Been A While” showcases the band’s harmonizing and vocal tradeoffs more, which set them apart from some of the comparisons a little more. When they harmonize it’s notably on the first note—which gives a real exclamatory tone that calls for action. This is what I remember from seeing the band live at The Fest some years ago. For the most part, it’s familiar but varied: 16 songs in just 32 minutes. While the guitars and vocals mix things up, the rhythm tends to really stick with that head-bopping foundation and the record can drag a little due to that repetition.

DeeCracks play Ramones-core, but with more depth and variation than the bands that embrace that label. They count “1-2-3-4” but they keep on going.

7.5 / 10 — Loren