HOME FRONT - Nation

 

1. Who are HOME FRONT?

HOME FRONT are a punk/new wave (they call themselves bootwave) band from Edmonton, Canada. Formed in 2021 with members from other bands Nation (March, 2023) is a single, and most popular song, from their debut alnum Games of Power (March, 2023).

2. What kind of song is Nation?

Nation contains enough hints of HOME FRONT's new wave foundations to make it fresh exciting and interesting, combined with lashings of boot-boy-running-down-the-streets-shouting-Oi-Oi-Oi rebellious energy. Nation gives an intriguing and alluring boot in the balls to two old genres and of course it features vocals from Cal Graham of The Chisel.

3. Which bands do HOME FRONT sound like?

Comparisons have been made to High Vis, Suicide  and Syndrome 81. Hell throw in that TURNSTILE song while we are at it. They have also kept company with Béton Armé, The Chisel and Conservative Military Image.

4. Which bands have influenced HOME FRONT?

Information is thin on the ground so let's rolls with Joy Division, Devo, and Blitz.

5. What have people said about Nation?

"Stuffed to the brim with icy synths and righteous indignation" - Maximum Rock'n'Roll.

"A shouty Oi anthem" - Just Some Punk Songs.

"Nation lets a massive gang-chant hook guide it's chorus with fist-pumping vigor" - Exclaim!

"We're poor as fuck,

So they lock us up,

Throw away the key"

MESS - Don't Look Back

 

1. Who are MESS? 

Mess are an Oi/Street Punk band from Mexico. They have been playing since 2020 and have recorded one album and a couple of E.P's. Don't Look Back (Nov, 2022) is from a split E.P. they made with The Chisel.

2. What kind of song is Don't Look Back?  

Don't Look Back is pretty, chill and mellow. It reminded me of indie rock songs like BRONCHO more than anything else. The vocals are delivered in a "listen up cunt, step outside" manner well known to Oi bands though. Honestly it's the way this song wormed it's way into my unconscious that made it stand up head and shoulders above the masses; just reading a book and the words and melody kept running through my head. 

3. Which bands do MESS sound similar to? 

They are a bit like Blitz, No Class, The Business, and obviously The Chisel.

4. Which bands have influenced MESS?

I couldn't tell you. Stiff Little Fingers, The Exploited, Blitz, and Cock Sparrer maybe.

5. What have people said about Don't Look Back?

"Their energy and talent is undeniable and they've mastered that adrenaline-charged fists-up singalong style" - The New Times Events.

"It's pure perfection. Shouty vocals with pretty little guitar lines" - DIY Conspiracy.

"Powerful anthems of working class struggle" - Pirates Press Records.

"And we, we care for today,

To stay alive and breathe another day"

Drunk Mums - Livin' At Night

1. Who are Drunk Mums? 

Drunk Mums are a garage rock/punk rock band from Melbourne, Australia, formed in 2011. Livin' At Night (Feb, 2024) is a single from their fourth album Beer Baby (March, 2024). 

2. What is Livin' At Night like? 

Livin'At Night is all a lilting garage rock track epitomising fun and all about escaping work day monotony. It swings along with lovely little rock'n'roll guitar licks and comes equipped with a fit-for-purpose sing-along chorus.  

3. Who do Drunk Mums sound like? 

Animal House, together PANGEA, and Mini Skirt.

4. Which bands have influenced Drunk Mums?

GEE TEE, The Saints, and The Hives.

5. What is are the guttersnipes saying about Livin' At Night? 

"Continues their tradition of delivering raucous rock party anthems" - Maximum Volume.

"This track has ear wormy hooks and it's hard not to love it" - Distorted Sound. 

"Tailored for those beer-raised sing-alongs" - Life Without Andy.

“There's a love and it’s you, I start living at night

It don’t matter what we do, I start living at night”

Conservative Military Image - Yard Hard

 

1. Who are they?

Conservative Military Image are a hardcore punk band from Chicago/Boston with an Oi sound and they've been running down the streets since 2022 or there abouts. Yard Hard (March, 2023) marches off their first long player Casual Violence (May, 2023).

2. What is Yard Hard about?

A tune about camaraderie in the music scene bursts out of the traps all street fighting skinhead Oi but lays on the fat riffs for the chorus. Done and dusted in a minute flat but catchier than the Thai clap.

3. Which bands do Conservative Military Image sound like?

No one else? A bit like End It, Scowl, SPEED, Agnostic Front, and Violent Way.

4. Which bands have influenced Conservative Military Image?

The main likes are Warzone, early Acca Dacca (AC/DC), The New York Hounds and there is a bit of love for Henry Rollins and Danzig.

5. What have people said about Yard Hard?

"A ripper, as aggressive as it is catchy"- Brooklyn Vegan.

"This band is blowing up and they deserve every bit of it"- Reddit.

"Tried-and-true punk riffs and tough tales of blue-collared life" - Stay Happening.

"You either walk the yard or you're with the guards,

Get your ass over the fence we're going yard hard"

Chub - Guantanamo Baywatch

1. Who are Chub?

Chub are a punk rock band from St. Catherines, Ontario, Canada. Guantanamo Baywatch is the first release from their second album American Living Room (April, 2024).

2. What kind of song is Guantanamo Baywatch?

Guantanamo Baywatch is a clean cut pub rock singalong about having dirty fun. Good humour with a hooky gang chorus vocal. Chub rock.

3. Which bands do Chub sound like?

The Chats, Amyl and The Sniffers, Against Me (I'm thinking of Don't Lose Touch). A bit of PUP and even FIDLAR maybe.

4. Which bands have influenced Chub?

Some of their influences are The Ramones, Blink-182, Turnstile, The Wonder Years... and The Chats, and Amyl and The Sniffers.

5. What have other people said about Guantanamo Baywatch?

"This vid (and song) was cool as hell y'all deserve to blow up" - YouTube Comments.

"This made me feel things in my lower regions. Subbed. - YouTube Comments.

"I don't care who you are this is hot" - YouTube Comments.

 

"Piss drunk in my closet where I'm pissing"

The Chats - Pub Feed

 

1. Who are The Chats?

The Chats are a punk band from the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia, in 2016. They found international success with their single Smoko (July, 2017) and have supported bands like Guns 'N Roses and Queens of The Stone Age. Pub Feed (March, 2019) is the second single off their first album High Risk Behavior (March, 2022). 

2. What kind of tune is Pub Feed?

Pub Feed has the brutal musical simplicity of The Ramones married with Australian directness. This is the live version which is far better than the recorded version in the same way wet warm pussy is better than your cold clammy hand.

3. Which bands do The Chats sound like?

Amyl and The Sniffers, Dune Rats, and The Ramones.

4. Which bands have influenced The Chats?

The Ramones, Dune Rats, Sex Pistols, AC/DC, and probably a bit of Cock Sparrer.

5. What have other people said about Pub Feed?

“A rebellious and energetic anthem that captures the essence of Australian pub culture” – Old Time Music.

“Young, dumb and full of come” – NME.

“An ode to spending the arvo at your sticky carpet local after a long day on the tools” – The Rock Pit.

"Hangin out, havin a punt,

Cos my rents due at the end of the month"

Chubby and The Gang - Coming Up Tough

 

1. Who are Chubby and The Gang?

Chubby and The Gang are a punk rock band from West London, England, and formed in 2019. The band members have played in hardcore punk bands and Chubby and The Gang have Oi and pub rock sensibilities to boot. Coming Up Tough (June, 2021) is the third single from their second album The Mutt's Nuts (August, 2021). 

2. What has Coming Up Tough got?

Coming Up Tough has a rock riff that wouldn't embarrass an early Acca Dacca (AC/DC) album and hardcore vocals that are furious about the brutal injustice of the prison system. A relentless rhythm reminiscent of a street beating pounds the message home but it's far from one dimensional. 

3. Who do Chubby and The Gang sound like?

The Chisel of course (Chubby and The Gang singer Charles "Chubby Charles" Walker is the guitarist in The Chisel) but also Motörhead, Blitz, Conservative Military Image, and The Chats.

4. Which bands have influenced Chubby and The Gang?

The Ramones, Dr. Feelgood, Coloured Balls.

5. What have other people said about Coming Up Tough?

“A fist-pumping punk rager” – Louder Sound.

“A prickly take on the older, more melodic genres that punk derives from”- Tune Of The Day.

“A ripper”- Stereogum. 

"They sent you down for far too long"

8. Anything else?

Listening to Chubby and The Gang and The Chisel remind me of this Australian punk gem by Royal Headache. Royal Headache were a garage punk band from Sydney, Australia. They were critical darlings and released two albums, Royal Headache (2011) and High (2015). The band remind me of Cloud Nothings. But Royal Headache never achieved any mainstream success and imploded in 2017. Little Star is a low-fi scuzzy song that has gained punk anthem status among some and has remained one of my all time favorites if only for the lyric...

"What's the point of living if we can't understand the truth?

Not worth it!"

Clans - Ode To Nothing

1. Who is he?

He is Niko Monjarez a one-man band and music producer who hails from Detroit, Michigan, but fights out of Los Angeles, California. He makes music primarily under the moniker Clans but you'll see some of his stuff under other names like Street Jobs and Marathon. Ode To Nothing came from his second E.P. L.A. Royalty (July, 2018).

2. What kind of song is it?

Clans describes himself as indie punk rock but Ode To Nothing has one regular rock riff that opens this gem and then continues doing all the heavy lifting throwing in some pop breakdowns to keep it interesting. Ode To Nothing is an attack on his own ego and being a fake ass bitch and that carries a bit of righteous anger amidst the self-contempt. 

3. Who do Clans sound like?

Portugal. The Man, PARTYBABY, and Winnetka Bowling League.

4. Which bands have influenced Clans?

Mention has been made in passing to Owl City, Passion Pit, and Rival Sons.

5. What have people said about Ode To Nothing?

"This is the most underrated artist I have ever come across" - Reddit.

"Fucking awesome" - Reddit.

"Yeah this is brilliant"- YouTube Comments.

6. Anything else?

Clans zenith is the magnum opus Glendale. Have patience it builds slowly. The video is a low-key masterpiece.

The Chisel - Cry Your Eyes Out

 

1. Who are they?

The Chisel are a punk rock band from London, England. Born out of fire and ash in 2020 and with two long players to their roll of honour. Cry Your Eyes Out has two versions, an early 2021 one, and the May, 2023, one from their second album What A Fucking Nightmare (Feb, 2024).

2. What have they got?

The sound of furious punk from the streets and the only thing that matters to me since I put a needle down on Motown Junk in 1991. It bursts out of the traps like a steroid soaked Conor McGregor in a fight ready to to punch a local drunk for disrespecting the pish he calls whiskey or break his own leg in the ring and then call you and ya ma a pussy. It also doesn't spare the rod with a harsh word for anyone who gets handsy with their missus and that's God's work right there. It's Oi but it's melodic and with an earworm of a gang vocal chorus. Done and dusted in two minutes and leaves you wanting more. It's the song I hum when I wake up every morning looking for my jocks and socks and regretting my life choices.

3. Who do The Chisel sound like?

Chubby and The Gang for sure, Cock Sparrer, Booze & Glory (maybe), even a bit of hardcore like Big Cheese or Conservative Military Image if you're feeling it.

4. Who have influenced The Chisel?

The Angelic Upstarts, The Ramones and The Exploited for starters.

5. What have other people said?

"An even catchier version of their already appealing sound, without losing any of their gritty aggression"- Brooklyn Vegan.

"The bands whole sound remains fast, direct, and catchy" - Stereogum. 

"Shards of glorious melody amidst all the the broken glass" - Kerrang.

"Sitting there with your head in your hands,

And you wonder where it went wrong,

After all the shit you put her through,

You wonder why she's gone?"