BABYLUNGS – Quit Ur Job and Drop Out of School
When you cut right down to it what did the original punk-rockers do? Well, the great Iggy Pop confronted his audiences violently, especially in England, leaving them feeling both fascinated and afraid. The Sex Pistols shocked the nation with their anthems of hopelessness. For the most part, punk bands were brash and confrontational. For the most part, punk is a bit conservative nowadays and anxious to tell you for whom to vote.
Step up to the plate, BABYLUNGS, whose “Quit Ur Job and Drop Out of School” is like a dissonant salvo against the world. Sure, it sounds like the song is written on the spot, but so what? It’s attention-seeking for sure. But, then again, music should damn well attempt to grab people.
Violent, charming, and helmed by a producer who will not bother from stopping the vocal levels from going into the red, “Quit Ur Job and Drop Out of School” is a troll-punk anthem.
John E Vistic – The Moronic Inferno
With a single whose title sounds like a nutshell description of the political landscape at large, John E Vistic is as angry as ever. The Bristol singer, unlike most of his punk rock peers, doesn’t just sound upset. He sounds like someone who has reached the point where merely talking about what bugs him is an annoyance beyond what he can humanly handle.
The tune itself is based around what sounds like a loop of a bass riff played with the fuzz pedal settings turned up as much as they’ll go before coming off. The drums, guitar, and piano are happy to intervene as little as possible. If, as the singer believes, this is the end of the world, there ain’t much use in showcasing one’s technical virtuosity.
And, just like a page torn from the Bad Seeds’ most violent and disorientating 90s output, “The Moronic Inferno” ends with a crash and a bang, like a man who the world has finally managed to push over the proverbial edge.
I like John E Vistic a lot, but I wouldn’t want to be invited to his house for tea.
