You know how every band is a skate punk band? Every band now, right now in 2022, is a skate punk band. Maybe not every band, fine, but most of them. 30-40 year old men with disposable income who can’t fend off the ghost of 90s nostalgia, singing about a simpler time when they didn’t have responsibilities like recycling their kombucha bottles or applying anti-fog lense spray to their glasses. This isn’t an insult; although, I understand it’s starting to sound like one. Just an observation. I like pizza, pretty girls who won’t talk to me and Green Day as well- we have a lot in common. All of this is to say it’s difficult to find a gritty punk band anymore. A grimey punk band. Enter Stop Talking.
Stop Talking’s Consequences Can Be A M.F. was released earlier this year on North Carolina’s independent Scat Boy Records. And yeah, it’s grimey; even downright dingy on some tracks. The album opens with ‘Henry Louis Wallace’; a track with an almost militant bass line (Terry Hudson) and vocals (Biggy JW) that would sound at home on an early Metallica record. It features uplifting lyrics like ‘why’re you still alive/ we think that you should die’. I told you this wasn’t pop punk. Travis Lee Overcash’s drums crash in with full force on ‘Control The Narrative’; his thrashing hits are reminiscent of Dave Lombardo (Slayer). ‘No Free Pass’ brings the first mediocre song of the record. Vocals ring out like a taunting nursery rhyme in a style that sounds like Korn before Korn were good. The music is fine here but nothing to write home about. Now ignore everything I just said. ‘3 In 6’ opens with a riff capable of melting steel beams. The vocals fall flat here as well but it doesn’t matter when the guitar is making that noise. In fact, the riff is so gigantically distracting that I didn’t tune into the lyrics until the last line- ‘the president is dead’. Definitely worth a rewind on this track. Biggy JW redeems himself with room to boot on ‘Suicide? Homicide?’. Vocal fry combines with JW’s lower register giving him masterful control over the song’s lyrics.
Side B opens with ‘Esse Quam Videri’ a Latin phrase meaning "To be, rather than to seem." The track features more gritty vocals and a gang chorus sure to start a pit at any self respecting punk show. ‘Cut-N-Run’ is the closest the group steers to true 70s punk. The whole band shows off their musical chops here; perfectly in time with one another and expertly shaping the lightening quick anthem. ‘Hey Old Man’ is Stop Talking’s take on the classic senior citizen diss track. The band shoots down the older generation with lyrics like ‘talk about the good old days/ how you’re stuck in your old ways’. Playing this at Thanksgiving dinner is sure to cause some problems. A stark guitar riff starts ‘Hold Your Breath’. Another guitar, bass and drums are layered on top with a barely controlled energy; by the chorus chaos breaks through leaving your chest heaving. Closer ‘No Skin In The Game’ ties the album together with a rough and tough anthem sure to get you on your feet (or in the pit). Growling lyrics pummel the song and pair perfectly with the crunchy riff.
Stop Talking is a breath of much needed grimey air. They’re punk the 90s way- but not that 90s way. They’d kick you out of Gilman Street. The band has a bite and the musical chops to back themselves up. Despite its short runtime, Consequences Can Be A M.F. packs in a cornucopia of screeching guitars and barked out lyrics. If you want grit, here you go.
