The splits: The Halfpipes and Aggressive Soccer Moms reviewed

Aggressive Soccer Moms – The Idiot

Genre: Post-Punk

When we last met Aggressive Soccer Moms, they were searching for a sound that defined the confusion of living in the modern world. They’re still at it. 

Aggressive Soccer Moms are not a group to let themselves be defined by stereotypes. Yes, they’re Swedish. Yes, Sweden is responsible for ABBA, and various power-metal atrocities. So, what? They’re going to make their music sound like angry Manchester workers out on the dock. It’s smart music for people who carry a blade in their boot just in case. 

It’s all the more remarkable because escaping your country’s favoured music isn’t as easy as it sounds. Refuse to play ethno-pop in Eastern Europe and be prepared to be shunned by the community forever. Are there many heavy-metal bands in Jamaica? And, what about the funk bands out in Finland. Have you heard Finnish drummers keep time? 

No, Aggressive Soccer Moms are a post-punk band obsessed with things falling apart, with efforts not coming to fruition, and with life often seeming meaningless. The Idiot features clever fractured guitar lines, an excellent bass part, and the most convincing sounding Mancunians out of Scandinavia. 

The Halfpipes – Karoshi

Genre: Punk, Post-Punk, Garage Rock

The Halfpipes stare down their possible future with confidence on the punk rock single Karoshi.

As one Minnesota troubadour once claimed, living outside the law requires honesty. Today, more than ever before, people all over the world dare dream of lives outside of the immediate control of their government, or of the economic system supported by it?

Are these alternatives any good? Is working on a commune superior to paying the loan for a flat in an overcrowded building? Does having little money actually bring more comfort to your psyche than attempting to get rich? Not automatically, but people choosing to step outside of the rat race may just end up saving their most prized possession, their life. 

The Halfpipes are a new punk band that has been contemplating just this very scenario. Karoshi is a fast, aggressive song about the way that employment in most places ends up costing those employed their physical and mental health, and, sometimes even their lives. The Halfpipes are a tough punk group made of idealists who sound like they have a few things figured out already.