I never got very into Screeching Weasel and the extended family tree. Ignoring the politics of the matter, the music never really hit that sweet spot for me either. But Sludgeworth were an exception. The band released just one album, that I discovered at least 10years after its release, but seemingly disappeared -- only to resurface after a 2022 reissue on Red Scare. The reissue seemingly breathed new life into the band, who released an EP in late 2024 and now the full-length Second Time Around, a meager 35 years after their debut.
Think melodic punk like The Methadones but with a lot more variety in song structure. I think "Simulation" is a great example of what they do best: turning a philosophical question into a melodic earworm melody with rising emotion instead of a repetitive "song name here" chorus, peppered by sometimes plodding staccato guitar to build a mood that's equally ominous and contrarily uplifting. That tone between dismay, cynicism and positivity continues throughout the 12-song record. You can kind of tell the band reads science fiction, even if they play pop-punk instead of the dystopian post-punk I associate with the fiction genre. Their brand of melodic punk is much more about guitar than power chords, with song-defining bridges that set the tone, delivered with sing-song vocals. They'd fit on a bill with Superchunk just as well as they would alongside The Methadones or any of their Red Scare contemporaries.
Another personal favorite is "Our Better Angels," and a theme I keep hitting at there is that these songs strike with real human emotion versus formulaic songwriting. In this case, the song ends with a big instrumental movement over the final minute, tastefully bridging the heartfelt chorus with rock 'n' roll's natural energy. Right after a song that's arguably a little dense (for punk), "Hurry Up, I Don't Have Forever" is a classic verse-chorus-verse peppy song to keep the momentum moving.
After 30-some years, that momentum is just as potent, as well as that call to keep pushing when the world seems out of step.
