The Ramones were, and still are, such an influence on music. These days, they’re garnered as a genre all on their own, known simply as, “Ramones-core.” Right now, bands like Teenage Bottlerocket are running things, but perhaps you haven’t given The Scutches a chance? The Scutches have been churning out Pop-Punk ditties for ten years now. Their latest album‘s title, Ten Songs, Ten Years, makes a point to say so. It’s warm, it’s catchy, it’s everything you’d expect from the genre.
The Scutches don’t just draw from The Ramones, but from the source itself like Buddy Holly and The Beach Boys. Ten Songs, Ten Years keeps a steady mid-tempo throughout the entire album with tracks about break-ups and relationships like the catchy numbers, “Full Steam Ahead,” and “Glad You’re Gone.” The following lamenting track, “Don’t Go,” will hook and reel you in from its simple chorus. As you can see from the song titles, there's an on-and-off theme going on. They do like to get more upbeat and get you dancing with songs like, “Summer Night.” Easily the most surf-style influenced track on the album. The Scutches pick up the pace and get more urgent on, “Together Again,“ while “Never-Ending Story,“ packs in an abundance of catchy harmonies.
Ironically, a song with a bright sound has the opening lyric, “It’s June 1st, and all I ask is for rain. The Summer’s not the same without you. Sun, go away, go away.” The lyrics would have been better suited for the more somber sounding acoustic track, “In Dreams.” The last song on Ten Songs, Ten Years, is “Only for a Minute.” Another mid-tempo number. The song’s verses are divided up by deeper vocals and Vincenzo’s signature nasally vocals. Following the song's end, you’ll hear a hidden track which calls back Vincenzo’s love for rain. The track serves as a better closer than “Only for a Minute,” but my guess is they made it a hidden track because, “Ten Songs, Ten Years,” rolls off the tongue better than “Eleven Songs, Ten Years,” would have.
The Scutches don’t break any new ground or breath in new life to the style of music. To be fair most “Ramones-core” bands don’t. That’s kind of the point. However, Ten Songs, Ten Years is every bit as catchy as anything else in the genre. It’s got hooky harmonies, pop melodies, and the occasional cheesy lyric. What else could you want? Check it out and decide for yourself. At the very least, it makes for some good background music.
