Pardon Us – ‘Seamless’ (Everything Sucks Music)

Pardon Us – ‘Seamless’ (Everything Sucks Music)

Back for more this impressive trio from the North West who really impressed me with their ‘Wait’ album and they start this follow up with a hugely impressive ‘Undertow’ with its classic period Buffalo Tom flavours and pandemic punchy lyrics.  they’ve got a great sound and really know how to bring it out to the benefit of the songs as ‘Still Need Singing’. A sprightly tempo thrashing around the speakers and as the refrain of “This Voice Is All We Have” through a fractured strain is powerful and really engaging.

The melodic punk punch of ‘What Doesn’t Kill Me’ is blisteringly good. But one thing for sure Pardon Us aren’t hanging around as one track clashes into the next and they leer from one with a strong riff to one with a strong melodic chorus, theirs is a great turn of phrase to a great gang vocal sing-along chorus but its not all bluster and bravado some of the guitar solos are restrained and thoughtful ‘To, Two, Too’.

There’s a jour de Vivre about a lot of this record – a confidence in what it is they’re doing.  I think it’s fair to say Pardon Us knows how good they are.  ‘Safety Net’ is a powerful bass chug that is layered with a sprightly off-kilter beat towards the chorus when the chords jar to what is a great song. Not a million miles from the honest wholesome Billy Liar songwriting school.

‘In The Loop’ has a video to accompany it and it seems an obvious choice for a single but then you could pick anything off this album its all pretty accessible.  If these were Americans they’d be a big noise on the punk alternative scene with the likes of Bad Religion – I kid you not.

 

I guess hashtagging themselves as melodic punk is a bit of a disservice they’re more than that and this album signs off with a thoughtful ‘The Last Word’ a perfect way to sign off another hugely impressive outing from Pardon Us – do yourself a favour and don’t pass them by, stop have a listen – check em out and thank me later.  Buy it!

 

Buy Seamless Here

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Author: Dom Daley

Rainy Days & Mondays

Rainy Days & Mondays

First up is the first single off the excellent Pardon Us. ‘Undertow’ sees the band release their lockdown social distanced video for the first track off their ‘Seamless’ album due out towards the end of August.

Another band we a loving here at HQ is Indonesian Junk who also have a new album ‘A Life Of Crime’ out on Rum bar records

Finally, we bring you Stay Voiceless who also have a new record ‘Lies To Tell Your Children’ and the review of said record will be online this week

October Playlist

October Playlist

With 2019 quickly rolling downhill towards 2020 and with Halloween just around the corner and Shit Island still under Tory rule heres a playlist to take you away from the humdrum of real-life and to take a peek at whats on the RPM turntables and MP3 players this month.

Alice Cooper is in the house with Go Man Go taken from his excellent EP ‘The Breadcrumbs EP’ and how could we not include Jim Jones & The Righteous Mind so get down and get with it as ‘Shazam’ is in the house on the virtual player.

Also on the live front we’ve caught up with the awesome Cyanide Pills who are ‘Still Bored’. this month we’ve got an exclusive interview we recently did with Spunk Volcano so it seems right we should include ‘Shit Excuse’ from ‘Double Bastard’.  It seems that every man and his dog is attending one of The Cult winter tour dates so why not play ‘New York City’ from the 30th Anniversary ‘Sonic Temple’.

Hands up if you’re heading to one of the Black Flag dates around the UK this month?  We are so ‘My War’ is on the list. Pulled Apart By Horses rode into Newport and left a mark so ‘The Big What If’ is on the list.

As for new albums we’ve reviewed how about a few new ones starting off with Pardon Us with the opening track on their debut album ‘Wait’ ‘check out ‘Beyond The Valley Of The Wolves’. The Hangmen are back with ‘Cactusville’ as are Starcrawler who we’ve included with the excellent rock and rolla ‘No More Pennies’, Bitch Queens bring ‘Superboy’ and their brothers from different mother are back with a new single.  The Hip Priests ‘I Hate The City’ from their recent split but fear not pop pickers they have another single on the way this month we’ve heard it and its a no brainer kids all killer and no filler was written for them.

As we say goodbye to Barrie Masters we’ve included Eddie And The Hot Rods cover of ‘Once Bitten Twice Shy’.  Since they’re having a movie made about them we think it’s apt that we include the awesome Redd Kross with ‘Motorboat’ on this months playlist.  turn it up baby because Charger make the paylist with ‘Victim’ from their self titled record. Cockroach Clan released their new/old record so why not sample some Norweigan punk rock whilst youre here.

It wouldn’t seem right not to have a Wildhearts tune in our playlist seeing as they have a new mini-album out this month and are playing the UK again so heres ‘A Song About Drinking’.  Supporting them on this round of dates are Janus Stark who also have a headliner at the hope & Anchor so with news of their new album released last week heres one from them for good measure – We can’t play you anything new but trust us when we say it’s going to be worth the wait so to keep you going heres ‘Every Little Thing Counts’.  It only seems fair we offer up some Shitbaby Mammals with the opener from their record ‘Heart On My Sleeve’.  To wrap up this months playlist heres some Black Star Riders with the second track from their new album and title track ‘Another State Of Grace’. So until next month…

Pardon Us – Wait (Self Release)

Pardon Us – Wait (Self Release)

Pardon us are a pop-punk band from Liverpool who formed in 2014. Some of their members have also played in Flamingo 50, the Down and Outs and Town Bike (No I’ve not heard of them either but I have heard of Pardon Us). They can be seen on the bills of DIY gigs, festivals and all-dayers around the UK, and are often compared to Jawbreaker, J Church and Off With Their Heads (mmm Nah me neither). This is their debut long-player and it’s been worth the wait let me tell you.  If you’ve never heard of them until you read this then let me give you my take on ‘Wait’.

‘Wait’ is the work of three people who make a very tasty racket, very tasty indeed.  Its loud (hooray) its got melody (hooray) some great lyrics and the album is full of fuckin’ bangers.  Drawing their inspiration from a load of places there are moments of classic Jam happening and also some early punk roots like Husker Du and I’m also having shards of Stiff Little Fingers punching through their wall of sound. I love the simplicity of ‘Brains’ with the gang backing vocals and raw guitar these boys know how to write top tunes.  At times it’s so raw its savage but its always wrapped in a melody which is where I get my SLF and Jam influences from. There is an air of joir de Vivre about it, they’ve penned ten pop songs and played them through distorted guitars with a reckless edge and youthful abandonment at times it could be some britpop fops playing punky or a Supergrass in the melodies songs like ‘Brains’ have a touch of the Jam about them if they went pub rock instead of soul boys.  The arrangements impress me with the gang vocals and attack on the riffage being just loud guitars and not using a wall of virtual sound technologies. ‘Counting Backwards’ is like screaming on top of a mountain and then rolling down it like a big kid and without a care in the world. 

 

I go back to my influence obsession and will site Husker Du and throw in a Replacements (a little bit at least when they were young) and some Buffalo Tom as well on ‘Thankful’.  The Scouse accent comes through loud and clear and I like that on ‘Phil Ochs’.  ‘If The Black Shirt Fits’ is off like a speeding bullet and the vocals are stretched to the limit. Raw and passionate it’s one of the best tracks on the record for sure.  when I stumbled across the singles a while back I found the band really exciting and the album has realised those expectations and that pleases me greatly because after all said and done and all the musical comparisons I could muster Pardon Us is fresh and exciting and the main thing is the songs are bloody good and that’s job done for me. Signing off with ‘We Are The Champions’ is a good place to finish seeing as its true these three are indeed champions.  If they rock up in your town go see em and tell em RPM sent you – you won’t be disappointed – great album!

Buy Wait Here

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September Playlist

September Playlist

With summer fading fast its time to cwtch u to your stereo or however you currently listen to your music and check out the RPM Spotify Playlist to hear who are the movers and shakers at RPM Towers.  From the albums, we’ve reviewed and are reviewing and the shows we’re attending to the interviews we have coming up.  Here is a playlist to accompany your reading.

 

This month we feature the following bands who have new albums or are playing live shows.

Hollywood Brats, Andy McCoy, The Bar Stool Preachers, Cock Sparrer, Jim Jones and the Righteous Minds, Duff McKagan, Jesse Malin, Queen Zee, Subhumans, Black Star Riders, Strung Out, Dead Shed Jokers, Pardon Us, Paradise Alley, Dead Furies, The Chuck Norris Experiment, TSAR, New Model Army, Ginger Wildheart