Voytek are a Minneapolis punk band currently taking things to the next level. Whether that level is up or down is in the eye of the beholder, but it will start with reviewing this 2 song 7”—or should I say: this 6 song digital EP? With the bonus material outweighing the physical form, it’s tough to gauge just what type of release to call this.
The 7” contains two songs. The A-side, “Saturday Night Again,” takes snotty delivery, big chords, and vocal tradeoffs between verses, building a song so familiar you can sing along on first listen. Yet, the lyrics are interesting enough that it’s not boring, and the quick garagey punch is over in just under two minutes. Flipping the wax, the band goes meta in “Voytek Party,” a song about various party exploits—or is it mis-steps? Each action is followed with some gang “aah’s” and everybody stepping up for a repetitive yet positively-energized “Who likes to party? Voytek likes to party!” refrain. The self-referential lyrics aren’t exactly complicated, but it’s enjoyable and it straddles the line of sheer stupidity while keeping its balance on the right side, akin to the Ramones content-wise but with a sloppy element to the instrumentation.
It’s a solid, enjoyable play that lets the listener know the band’s character rather than reflecting on the more introspective parts of their souls. It’s a rather quick play, but it delivers solid entertainment and a goofy grin.
As for the bonus material, it maintains the same running tone: ridiculous, a bit off the wall, and all in good fun on songs like “Unicycle”, “Dirty Baby”, “Hot Cops”, and “Hot Wax.” The band’s sound revolves around catchy singalongs; familiar, driving chord work; and silly, witty subject matter. If you don’t find songs about making out with police officers amusing, this can be skipped—but, honestly, who doesn’t indulge such a fetish?
