Strap yourselves in and get ready for some Tongue Action. Tongue Action delivers high-energy rock ’n’ roll from ’70s punk thru, ’80s sleaze rock like a hard rock sponge, they’ve absorbed the lot and tried to mould it into something that makes sense in 2026.

Of course, they’re gonna say they like it loud and live is where it’s at, but on this four-track EP, do they walk the walk as well as they talk the talk? Well, trying to be original or even relevant in this day and age is a feat in itself because some smart arse in the press is going to tell you they’ve seen it all before yada yada yada. But let’s give some dues to any band coming out in 2026 and giving it big guns and totally believing in what it is they’re singing about.

The songs on offer here are certainly loud, fast, and, to be fair, pretty decent. OK, so the opening track is ‘Wild Women’, apart from the obvious cliches, it’s got a good tempo, and the chorus is easy to throw your arms aloft and join in on. The guitars are gritty, and the vocal delivery is in the post-NWOBHM style, which is not to be sniffed at. It’s infectious (just like the wild women), and then it’s gone, it went as quickly as it started. Retro but in a good way. Snotty Hard Rock would be my description of this EP. I like how raw it is, and it adds to the attitude and the second track ‘RMFR’ is definitely on an upwards trajectory, channelling the attitude of the Dead Boys and mixing it with some Scandi Rock (how aware they are of what has come out of Scandinavia in the last two decades, I have no clue), but this is decent.

‘Seduce And Destroy’ injects its DNA from the classic Undertones big hitter, but that’s where the resemblance ends. I like it, there are earworms at work here on a Razorbats from Norway level, and the song is really good. The EP closes out with ‘Emily Baby!’. I hope she’s pleased with the song penned about her, and so she should be with plenty of attitude. This is a grower for sure. I love hearing new music from far-flung places and hearing there are people dedicated enough to release music and make it loud and snotty, so on that basis alone, I ask you to get on your feet, turn it up and give a big round of applause to Tongue Action from the USA. They rock! And to see they have an LP in the mix on the most excellent Heavy Medication Records only cements the future because it’s not only me that recognises top tunes soon there will be wax and that’s always a good thing.

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Author: Dom Daley