Song Premiere- The Connection- "Southern Girls"(Cheap Trick)

From the point of when Chuck Berry, Little Richard, and a precious handful of exceptional people put the pieces together for what we all know as Rock 'n' Roll today, our universe was changed for the better. Anything good that has happened in the genre after it's creation stays true to those roots by means of influence. It's something that can be heard within seconds, is the determining factor in my choosing to give a band my time, and that's the reason I'm into The Connection. They get this principle and it comes through loud and clear with each move they make! Their stripped down and fun approach shined through perfectly on the latest LP, "Labor Of Love" and coming off of the heels from that release, they put a new idea into motion that I really dig. It was to choose a series of cover songs that have impacted their vision as a band and it's aptly entitled, "Just For Fun!". The picks range from Buddy Holly to The Dictators in naming a couple examples of what can be expected, but the coolness in this project didn't stop there. As New Hampshire rockers with much admiration for the musicians in their scene who helped to pave the way before them, they reached out to none other than B-Face. This mythical man who has accomplished a lot to be admired in his work as a bass player with many bands from The Queers to The Real Kids, and is without a doubt my most favorite one to watch play live was a perfect choice to include for a guest spot on three of it's tracks. I have the pleasure of introducing one of those today and it's a beautiful rendition of Cheap Trick's "Southern Girls"!

Give it a listen here.

The Connection is...
Brad Marino- Lead Vocals and Guitar
Geoff Palmer- Guitar and Vocals
Kris Rodgers- Keys and Vocals
Bobby Davis- Bass
Craig Sala- Drums

Tracks
1. "Get Out Of Denver"
2. "Stay With Me"
3. "I Can Read Between The Lines"
4. "Other Guys' Girls"
5. "Streets Of Baltimore"
6. "Teenage News"
7. "No Expectations"
8. "Southern Girls"
9. "Think It Over"
10. "Haircut"

Label: Rum Bar Records
Digital release will happen on 12/16 and the CD is slated for shipment in January. Both options can be pre-ordered here.

Mind Spiders- Prosthesis

A lot of bands stay within a certain range of comfort. It's not anything terrible but I have to admit I'm always a little more captured by the ones that don't. Mind Spiders are certainly one that align to the latter and I've been amazed to watch their evolution with each release they have. The three records preceding this one all have a unique element of experimentation building around the post punk foundation Mark Ryan has created as a songwriter for this project. It's not a derivative of the genre either, but rather very much a revival and I love it. My curiosity was peaked right from the moment of seeing the cover art for this LP with each of their faces appearing as death masks against a very simple contrast. It's beautiful and I can say my sentiment is very much the same for it's eight tracks. They do pick up from where "Inhumanistic" left off in a sense with heavier synth but the're all the more perfected, threading into each other like a moving landscape with lyrics touching into a certain darkness that's draped in a lot of mystery. It's one of those records that takes me outside of myself whenever I hear it and that's a good thing! I always move from start to finish whenever it gets a spin on the turntable or plays from my phone but I do have three absolute favorites. "Running" has such a great even calm to frantic arrangement, in a very Devo sort of way, Think "Gut Feeling". "Cold" is also another that I adore for it's complete detachment in a sense, but still having a big impact with it's driving rhythm. There is a fantastic video they made for it that you can check out here if you missed it! The third in my choice has to be the closer, "Ulcer" for it's hypnotic synth, rich bass tone, and shadowy guitars. It's a perfect example of why Mark is one of my most favorite songwriters and I look forward to seeing what will come next in this entity known as Mind Spiders. Music is better for it's existence.

Mind Spiders are...
Mark Ryan- Guitar, Vocals, Synth
Mike Throneberry- Drums
Peter Salisbury- Synth
Daniel Fried- Bass

All songs written by Mark Ryan.

Tracks
Side A
1. "Rip It Out"
2. "No Filter"
3. "Running"
4. "Cold"
Side B
5. "Prosthesis"
6. "Split In Two"
7. "Nothing Without It"
8. "Ulcer"

Label: Dirtnap Records
Buy it here.
Stream it here.

The Mugwumps/The Vapids Split 7"

Splits are great! I like seeing them happen and even more so when it's a couple of bands that don't typically do them or never before. This kind of split is special because it isn't coming from a place where exposure is the primary objective, but instead being a dual statement of creativity and compatibility. That's exactly what The Mugwumps who are doing this for the first time and The Vapids who have but on very few occasions decided to do after years of knowing each other when the timing was right; and it's a perfect pairing! Both of these great punk rock bands have the tendency to do no wrong in my eyes with each move they make, and this little split 7" follows in that tradition. First up are the Austrians who always seem to have an infinitely perfect grasp of the Dee Dee three words, a chorus, and the three words saying it all philosophy. The first track "Ka-Mun-Rah!" is a lightening fast, school of Head piece that's over before you can think about it too long, but they don't leave you feeling cheated because a different side of what they do so well awaits in the second track. "The Reason" is a simple yet completely powerful ballad that tugs at my heartstrings with no false pretense. Just a perfect little gem that's been stuck in my memory since the first time I heard it, because that's where good songs stay. Now it's time for the Canadian veterans and absolute badasses(who have also made a magnificent full length LP that I'll be getting to soon) to take over. I feel a lot of hope watching these guys keep moving because the way they play is what this world desperately needs when thinking about what punk rock should be. No fuss, no fluff, no bullshit overproduction. Just stripped down rock 'n' roll that's ready to kick your ass with lots of heart and that is exactly what the first track "Dangerous Game" is. Those guitars are distinct to the trademark Vapids sound and Jimmy's beautifully gritty voice is one of a man that's stood the test of time, retaining great importance for me. It really carries through and I love how poetic he is in his lyrics with this one touching on a darker side of life. "Capital City Creeps" exudes lots of early punk attitude as well and gets job done in an impressive one minute and thirteen seconds. No time wasted! I know I'm always going to get what I want when I listen to either of these bands and am very happy to own this record. Get into it if you've got good taste!

The Mugwumps are...
Chris- Guitar and Vocals
Hank- Bass
Andy- Drums

Their Side
"Ka-Mun-Rah!"
"The Reason"

All songs written by Chris.

The Vapids are...
Jim- Vocals and Guitar
Scotty- Drums
Matt- Guitar
Eric- Bass

Their Side
"Dangerous Game"
"Capital City Creeps"

All songs written by JV.

Label: Striped Records
Buy it here.
Stream it here.

Neon Bone- Down To The Felt

There's always plenty to fill my little eyes with hearts when looking to the European pop punk/punk rock scene these days due to it's seemingly higher than average amount of songwriters that get it! So many of those bands claim space on my overfilled at the moment record shelves and Neon Bone is a perfect example of why it's like that! While I can always bet everything on instantly taking a liking to the songs Lars writes, I gotta admit that I'm also totally impressed by the amount of great material he can create on such a consistent basis. Last year was no different with the "Sick Of Me" 7" and just as I was through praising that at the end of 2015, he had a new batch of demos for a full length to wow me with. Fast forward many more months of impatiently waiting and it's finally arrived, a wonderful LP from my most favorite one man, kick ass, pop punk machine from Münster, Germany called "Down To The Felt"!

When I got my hands on the finished product at the beginning of this year, I was completely impressed to find out that once again, this was a total solo effort like the last. It has to be a little maddening to cover every aspect of playing the songs themselves, then adding in all the recording work on top of all that, but Lars made it work! The sound quality is great. Holding tradition in steadily imagining funny cover art, this one features a photo of him going bust on a video poker machine on the front. It's very well shot and I love all the color. Release day was the first of this month coming from none other than Monster Zero Records who seems to be on a winning streak with putting out good records as of late. No surprise there either! It's available on black vinyl with download code or CD through the label,or digital only which you can get through the Neon Bone bandcamp page. All the songs are streaming there in full and you should definitely check them out if you've not done so yet! 

A strong opening track is essential for capturing my interest whenever I listen to a new record and that is something I think Lars has down to a perfect science! I was crazy for the mid tempoed yet powerful "I Can't Let Go" in a matter of seconds. This song is such a perfect representation of the simple but super catchy way Neon Bone songs easily get into my head and stay there. It's just really well played 90's inspired pop punk with no gimmicks. Good songs don't need it and the momentum of this opening energy builds, leading into the second track "Without You". It's a lighthearted love song that they matched the sentiment of with a funny video they made for it(click here to see it!). It's a spoof of a 60's tv show performance complete with the sparkliest jacket I've ever seen haha. Neon Bone videos are always the best. Go peek around his youtube channel if you're not familiar with them! Speaking of that time period, "Cheek To Cheek" is one of those songs that has an early rock 'n' roll/doo-wop feel to it. Definitely another of my favorites with those perfectly done backing vocals in the bridge. It's very dreamy and while this record is heavy in the fun pop punk energy that I'm fond of this band for, there's also some different forces of punk rock coming through as well like in "The Things We Can Do". That is my number one pick out of the faster songs and it has a very cool, edgier early Descendents vibe. Now we all know well enough I said favorite out of the faster songs because I am greedy and HAVE to pick a slower one too! That one for me is "Love Has Made Me Blind". It is such a gem with a heavy doo-wop approach as well and really shows off the just lovely range in his vocals. The closing track is a cover of Jimmy Cliff's "You Can Get It(If You Really Want)" and is translated in such a great way to a punk rock version. I always appreciate how Lars chooses covers that aren't common and take some effort to do! 

I think it's kinda funny that this record is called "Down To The Felt" because nothing about it is going for broke! If anything, this is one of the most well rounded pop punk records I've heard in a long time, complete with a few great surprises and will most certainly be earning a spot in my Best Of 2016 list. Make sure to add it to your overcrowded shelves because I know I'm not the only one with that problem, I mean, hobby!! Yeah, hobby and stay tuned for what's next!! While this band is a one man effort in the studio, the live lineup adding in Mirko Cruel, Fred Fredsen, and Jan Koslowski sounds fantastic. Make sure to catch their sets at Summer In October in Belgium, or some shows they're planning with the almighty Mega from Italy during that time. Also, there's a split that just came out featuring them and their friends Muskelprotz and hell yes, more new songs are being demoed as we speak!! Something new is always happening in the Neon Bone universe and it's bands like this who make me believe there's always hope for music to be better.

Neon Bone is...

Lars Hanneman

with guest part by David Gröbner who played the trumpet part on "You Can Get It(If You Really Want)".

Tracks
Side A

1. "I Can't Let Go"

2. "Without You"

3. "Cheek To Cheek"

4. "Let's Go Home"

5. "Fate"

6. "Love Has Made Me Blind"
Side B

7. "I Don't Care" 

8. "The Things We Could Do"

9. "Where The Action Is"

10. "Ghost"

11. "You Can Get It(If You Really Want)"

The Hallingtons- Running From The U.S.S.R

Going my own way in how I view punk rock with great respect for it's roots, no matter what seems to be the trend of the moment is something I never bend on. While I support everyone thinking for themselves, whenever I see a jaded sentiment in online conversations saying that there's nothing left to draw from a more traditional approach anymore, I gotta laugh a little because it's total bullshit to me. The foundation of our little universe is an anchor for it's very survival and I'm glad there is hope for it to remain intact when I hear a band like The Hallingtons. I've had my eye on this Olso, Norway based trio for a few years now and they've kept my interest by not only honoring what's important to me but also growing in presence each time they record. I loved the "Alien Girl" EP but was even more excited this time to see that they were finally getting the much deserved support in being pressed to vinyl! They are back with their brand of pop punk that catches your memory like a Rolex in a store window does Dee Dee's eye on a 7" called "Running From The U.S.S.R.", and that's what I'll be making sure the word is out for today!  

The songs were recoded during June of 2015 at Endless Tinnitus in Oslo with producing, mixing, and mastering done by Anders Krokedal. The recording was done on an analog tape machine and while I found myself a fan of these songs right away hearing them digitally, they really come alive on the vinyl as a result of this. This is the way The Hallingtons were always meant to be heard! The cover and layout for the 7" looks great with a more classic approach in some well shot photos of the band done by Frode Skjold on the front and back that have a very '77 feeling. From there Rocky Skullington tied it all together with a clean presentation in the layout and I like the way that little touch of red in the lettering on the front makes the title pop out. He also designed an Alien Girl shirt for the guys which I'm a proud owner of as well! Official release happened on April 18th and is a collaboration between the band themselves and Monster Zero Records. Kevin has a full plate with all his releases but always seems to find a way to help bands that deserve it, and that is very honorable. The record is on black vinyl and digital only is available though their bandcamp page. It's streaming in full there and name your price to download, aka free but be cool and donate a few bucks towards their next move. That's the way we keep DIY alive! 

As I was saying, it made me so happy to see Jørgen, Tor, and Mikel have their work pressed to vinyl, and it was lovely to go through the motion of placing it on my turntable. At 45 rpm, the guys launch into a fast opening on Side A with "Running From The U.S.S.R". This one has everything that could be desired out of a good punk rock song as a tale of espionage is told in it's lyrics. It has lots of punch as a more direct arrangement and some "ba ba ba bas" most definitely influenced by the forefathers of Forrest Hills. So easy to love! I think what I like most about this band is that they all have the ability to contribute as lead vocalists and as they trade off, there's always great support from the other two in the backing vocals. That interchangeable aspect adds depth and can be picked up on in "Gaga Over You" which Mikel takes the lead on. He brings in a little bit of that sunnier energy that he does so well in The Lemonaids and it balances out well with the band's approach. Tor I love as a lead because he packs a lot of bravado into his vocal delivery just like his drumming. He sounds so cool when you flip to Side B and hear "Lori Is A Mexican", which is a song they had recorded previously but definitely was deserving of a remake. I gotta level with you all that the last track is my absolute FAVORITE and maybe even my most favorite out of every single song I've ever heard from this band. "Why Can't You Be With Me" is one of those songs that draws from a rich 1960's Rock 'n' Roll vibe and it is just perfect for Jørgen's voice that has all the bubblegum appeal you could desire in a track like this. It's all said and done in less than eight minutes for this little gem of a record, so my natural choice is just to listen through again. 

Simple, beautiful, and catchy. Those three elements make the kind of punk rock that The Hallingtons play something that I'm always eager to hear. They really bring back an element of fun amongst all the overproduced and sometimes a little too emo sounding modern pop punk that I'm just not a fan of, and that is good for music!! Add "Running From The U.S.S.R" to your collection before its gone like a spy on the run by visiting the Monster Zero webstore or writing to the guys who also have those cool shirts I mentioned for sale! They have a couple things in the works now which include a contribution to a Scottish tribute album for Brandon Carlisle and a new single too so keep an eye on their facebook page to stay tuned for when they'll be out! 

The Hallingtons are...

T.E. Hallington- Drums and Vocals

Mikel Hallington- Bass and Vocals

J. Hallington- Guitar and Vocals

All songs written by The Hallingtons 

Tracks

Side A

1. "Running From The U.S.S.R" 

2. "Gaga Over You"

Side B

3. "Lori Is A Mexican" 

4. "Why Can't You Be With Me"

The Putz- Hole In One reissue

With pop punk nearing the age of a sensible decision making adult in it's three decades of existence, creating it in a way that is interesting in present day is no easy task!!  It's easy to fall into sounding as a derivative or even worse, attempting to innovate it past the point of recognition but as luck has it, there's a small handful of songwriters who succeed at it still. I first heard of The Putz about four years ago from one of my friends on the East Coast. He had a lot of enthusiasm for what they were doing so I followed his tip and found that these guys from Indianapolis, IN were not only doing something good but rather great instead. Standing out from run of the mill and way off base, they play pop punk that makes you want to pull out your Queers, Screeching Weasel, and Beach Boys records for an all day binge, but also bring a unique personality to the table that is sincere, engaging, a little kooky, and utterly hilarious at times. To put it plainly, you remember who they are in one listen and that, my friends is what this small world of music we all love so much needs. I fell hard for the harmony heavy and super pop sensible "Knock It Off" in 2014, hoping for another reason to write about them immediately after and through the actions of some great people, something has manifested!!

Seeing a dire need for the songs to be placed on sacred format, Moms Basement Records decided to reissue the more than deserving first album of these guys on vinyl for the first time! From there the idea began to pick up more momentum with a beautiful remastering job done by Mass Giorgini at Sonic Iguana where "Hole In One" was originally recorded in 2009 by Phillip Hill. With everything sounding perfect, another modern day hero in the American label scene, Travis Woods added some live shots of the band into a bold yet simple and gorgeous layout he created, then it was off to the pressing plant!! Please take me seriously when I say don't wait to order this because the quantity is very limited! 100 copies were pressed to black, 100 copies were pressed to pink which I chose because it creates a lovely contrast against the cover art, and they include a download code of course! Release is today on the 27th(pretty inconspicuous date huh? Haha) and you can order it through the Moms Basement webstore! The tracks are waiting to be streamed or downloaded on the label's bandcamp page now too so go check them out! 

When I think about reissues the one thing I enjoy most is to see someone from the band talk about it instead of a writer's thoughts, so I decided to approach Billy and ask for a contribution to this piece. He answered my call with a wonderfully written recollection of the record and some cool history on the evolvement of the band as well so without further delay I'd like to hand over this space to him. 

"Looking back, it’s almost unbelievable that Hole In One ever got recorded, turned out the way did, or got released, let alone a remixed and remastered re-release…on vinyl!!! 

Now, I’d like to say that Hole In One was the result of endless hard work, timeless effort, and unmitigated dedication, but it wasn’t; it was really just an accident…

See, back in 2009, The Putz were at a very different phase in our…uh…career? Sure, if you call getting drunk and playing exclusively open mic nights, exclusively at the local dive bar, exclusively on Wednesdays a career that is. I’m pretty sure most of us do, so let’s not belabor. Now, we never harbored any delusions that we would ever become international superstars, but that didn’t stop us from being out of tune, out of key, and out of our minds. 

In all truthfulness, real talk here, we had no business recording an album at the time; furthermore, we had no business recording an album at the legendary (you’ve heard of it…) Sonic Iguana, but we did it anyway.

Our initial idea was just to capture our at-the-time-and-probably-only-to-us hilarious shtick, you know, for the annals of history. Our second idea was to just cancel and save our time and money. Our third idea, however, was to actually take ourselves seriously for a change. Mondo bizarro, I know. Well, that’s exactly what we did; we switched gears, scrapped the majority of the tracks we were intending to record, and started focusing on unfinished and unwritten material instead. 

In the end, we (surprisingly) pulled it together and found ourselves with a (surprisingly) decent album that included 16 tracks that were written, completed, and rewritten over the span of a decade, some of them during my formative years as a young school boy, and others literally in the week leading up to recording, and I’m willing to wager that most of you couldn’t even guess which were which. And, even though it may be juvenile, in terms of content and talent, Hole In One includes two very important songs for me personally: (1) the first good/decent song I ever wrote; and (2) the first song I ever wrote that I knew other people would enjoy. 

We halfheartedly approached a few individuals about the prospect of releasing an album recorded by a band no one had ever heard of, or knew existed, or cared about…yeah, well, whatever…In the summer of 2010, Hole In One was self-released on compact disc with a first pressing limited to 100 copies and a second pressing of 50 copies, and that was all. Ever. Until…

On tour in the summer of 2015, The Putz found ourselves lodging in none other than the mom’s basement (yeah, the one that inspired the record label, duh).  It was here, drinking PBR and watching South Park, that the benevolent John Proffitt, Jr. agreed to release the remixed and remastered version of Hole In One on Mom’s Basement Records…on vinyl!!!

In retrospect, Hole In One opened a lot of doorways for The Putz, not only because we had material we weren’t ashamed to send to bookers and promoters, but also because we knew what we were capable of achieving as a band. We started practicing, which led to playing more venues, which led to playing out-of-town shows, which led to playing out-of-state shows, all of which led to making fans that would become friends and friends that would become family."- Billy Putz

The Putz as they appeared on this recording...

Billy Putz- Bass and Vocals

Tyler Wrong- Guitar and Backing Vocals 

Jordan Miller- Drums and Backing Vocals

With appearances by...

Ian Johnson- Keyboards on "Once-a-Year Day" and "Idiot Over You"

Elise French- Vocals on "Bride Of Frankenstein"

Reissue produced by Billy Putz, Dougie Tangent, and John Proffitt Jr.

All songs written by Billy Putz(BMI) except where noted 

Tracks

Side A 

1. "Letdown Of A Lifetime"

2. "Not Giving In" 

3. "Your Spaceship's Taking Off"

4. "Operation: Sneak Out" 

5. "I Do(What I Want To)"

6. "Brain Dead" 

7. "Summer's Here"

8. "I Quit"

Side B 

9. "Institutionalized"

10. "You're Ugly"

11. "Once-a-Year Day"(Adler/Ross)

12. "Idiot Over You"

13. "Don't Talk"

14. "My Girlfriend's a Bonehead"

15. "Bride Of Frankenstein"

16. "Hole In One" 

The Ratcliffs- Bubblegum Warfare

"If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough."- Albert Einstein 

Who knew Einstien and Dee Dee had so much in common!? I did! I think this quote of a genius can easily be applied to the beautiful structure of a sound we define as punk rock and at it's very most foundation, that's what you find. Simplicity. This principle is very much alive in Europe and as a devoted fan of bands like the Mugwumps and DeeCRACKS, Austria is a place that I've been dialed into for years. This is largely in part due to those guys having such a crystal clear understanding of what a punk rock song should be, and they play it with no unnecessary embellishments. There was another band from Innsbruck that I heard a few summers back by means of a sampler that was made for the Monster Zero Mash in Bergamo from 2014. They were called The Ratcliffs and I remembered liking their song, but being the scatterbrained girl that I am, I got distracted by something shiny probably and forgot to research them further. It happens!! Anyway, let's fast forward into the present. I saw that they finally had a full length record coming not too long ago, checked out the stream when it went live, and in a few words I was smitten with it pretty quickly. I've been craving so much to hear a good pop punk record lately and it has arrived in the form of one called "Bubblegum Warefare"!

The songs were recorded/mixed during the Summer and Fall of 2014 by Matthias Mayr(aka Hias) at Workstation & The Shithole(aka Hias' bedroom) and then mastering was handled by Mathias Magerle. If theses names sound familiar, it's because they are!! Both of them were involved with the last Mugwumps record and like their work on "Can't Be The One", the sound quality they produced this time is great once again!!  The cover is a great fit with the album title featuring a photo of Paul shot by Jonas Flattinger and artwork by Karin Berner. Simple bubblegum concept, bright colors, I like it! Once that was all finished it was time for the painful process that always happens since everyone's waiting on the plants and there's not enough supply to meet the demand, but good things are worth the wait!! Official release happened on March 8th from the fine people of Monster Zero Records. 300 copies were pressed to pink or black vinyl and come with a download code. Collector nerds like myself, the pink wax is apparently super limited! Digital only can be found on the Ratcliffs bandcamp page where it's also streaming in full! Lastly, a small and limited edition run of 30 cassettes was made on Paul's label, Campfire Tapes. So your listening options are many!! But for now, go press play on that stream if you haven't done so yet.

I woke up early on the morning MZ announced the record was streaming and decided to investigate right away since I was so curious for it. Most of the time when I'm looking at a stream I don't start from the first track, but instead scan the song titles for one that jumps out at me. Usually that method proves to be quite effective and this time I decided to play "You Can't Break My Heart" first since that's an experience that typically spawns a great song. Especially in pop punk and my hunch was correct!! The Ratcliffs sound is simply a breath of fresh air and I was drawn right in by it. Paul is most certainly one of us in his devotion to the Ramones and Lookout bands, which you can hear in his songwriting but there's also some nice touches of 50's/60's rock 'n' roll in there too and it's very cool. Overall there's a huge injection of fun in their style, not taking anything too seriously and the lyrics are super catchy. Another thing I like about Paul is his vocal style. He's got much more of a melodic Joey-esque crooner approach and I'm into it! This recording also has a great lineup of talent! I mentioned Hias above who adds being a fine guitar player to his résumé and then Klemi who also plays drums for Insanity Alert shows his diversity, easily going from thrash to pop punk and did a wonderful job. The LPs 12 tracks cover a wide range of topics and open up in a very Riverdales Phase 3 sort of way with the first one, "S.L.I.T.H.E.R" that is a quick burst of  punk rock, talking of a two faced person. "Zombie Walk"  drops into a mid-tempoed pace and most definitely gives a nod towards I Walked With A Zombie. Monster songs never go out of style with me and the Ratcliffs do well in bringing an element of horror to their mixture without sounding cheesy. "Swine Flu Outbreak" and the metamorphosis illustrating "Teen Wolf Again" also go along with this theme and were infectious in their ability to get stuck in my head. I really love "Chinese Whispers" too! Its got some great backing vocals but as a true romantic, I gotta say I choose the ode of love lost called "Radioactive Queen" as my favorite track! The lyrics are enjoyably demented, expressing the woes of being burned in more way than one and the chorus is beautiful!! "Never Any Good" adds a little more variety, standing out a bit with just vocals and a more clean guitar but stays cohesive with the record and shows that early rock 'n' roll side I mentioned. 

2016 was SO SLOW to start out with new releases! I was waiting for something to come along that captured my attention and "Bubblegum Warfare" is it. This is a nice open to what is promising to be an eventful rest of the year so don't sleep on this first pressing and order a copy before it's gone. With both Hias and Klemi relocating soon, there are no immediate plans for The Ratcliffs besides the release show they played but seeing how that Austrian scene is such a supportive network of talented people, something is always bound to come together. Follow their facebook page to stay tuned! 

The Ratcliffs are...

Paul- Vocals and Bass Guitar 

Hias- Guitar

Klemi- Drums 

All songs written by Paul Coyote

Tracks

Side A

1. "S.L.I.T.H.E.R."

2. "Zombie Walk"

3. "Li'l Light Bulb"

4. "Swine Flu Outbreak"

5. "Too Many Issues"

6. "The Thing To Do"

Side B

7. "Chinese Whispers"

8. "Teen Wolf Again"

9. "Radioactive Queen"

10. "You Can't Break My Heart"

11. "Never Any Good"

12. "Camp Nowhere"