I don’t hear skatepunk-influenced bands that catch my attention very often. What was once new and vibrant has grown stale and derivative. Yet, Totally Slow (from North Carolina) have a very clear West Coast ‘90s influence that thrives throughout Casual Drag, their third record. While I hear a lot of familiarity, it still feels urgent and emotional. And while I’m setting this up like it belongs next to a Warped Tour vert ramp, it’s a little more varied and modern too.
Sure, it would fit in on a Punk-O-Rama comp, but the guitars have metallic influence throughout – really on display in “The Needle,” with more of a rhythmic seesaw than those chord-driven, pummeling and overcaffeinated onslaughts of yesteryear. The balance features shouted vocals, guitars that alternate between SoCal hyperactivity and heavier, more directed tones that pull from the snarl and bellow of Hot Snakes to the pleasant noise of post-punk. Unlike skatepunk, the drumming sets the pace instead of steering the energy. At their heart, Totally Slow play guitar rock on a punk/hardcore foundation. The vocals are a shout-sing that has sometimes reminds me of Night Birds, though that’s just the voice for the most part. Musically, think closer to Good Riddance and Strung Out with some San Diego rock and DC post-punk mixed in.
It all pulls together in tracks like “Dead Skater,” one of the singles, which has a more urgent beat, drilling guitars, and vocals that feel like half-plea and half-call-to-action. It’s angry but also personal, bridging the potent rhythm with more contemplative movements within. “On Sale” is another standout: this one more melodic in flow with a lead guitar navigating a narrator at wits end with the world. It has the anger of hardcore and the introspection of spinoff style. In other words: it’s got it all -- the bark and the bite.
