The first thing to note about Carry On is that it doesn’t. HiFi Handgrenades obviously see merits in brevity, and they have a point when it comes to simple melodic punk rock. When’s the last time you heard a ten-song album that barely clocks in beyond twenty minutes in length?
If you just answered “the mid to late nineties”, award yourself a beer, because that’s very much the era Carry On brings to mind - think NOFX, Less Than Jake, Mad Caddies, the bands who brought the classic melodic punk sound to wider attention. No surprise, really, as HiFi Handgrenades are comprised of former members of Suicide Machines and The Paybacks - no dyed-fringed newcomers, these guys.
Seemingly fuelled by that relentless white-knuckle positivity that characterised the nineties punx - even on their “hey kids drugs will fuck you up” tune, “Sunset To Sunrise” - HiFi Handgrenades sit politely beside the current crop of bubblegum haircut bands, while managing to pack a lot of unfussy honesty and energy into Carry On’s ten snack-sized tracks.
They’ve got catchy chord sequences which, while they’re far from new, are certainly radio-friendly enough to get airplay. But it’s not been overdone - Carry On has none of the sickly saccharine production gloss that Epitaph Records seem to think no album can do without, for example. Instead, HiFi Handgrenades have opted for simplicity - clear, clean production, nothing clever or shiny.
The same could be said for the songs, though - Carry On has nothing you’ve not heard before if you’re over the age of twenty-one or thereabouts. However, if you’re secretly getting bored of the nailpolish and histrionics of the haircut emo-pop acts your mates listen to on the bus to college, HiFi Handgrenades might tempt you to defect in the direction of buying old Descendents T-shirts off eBay and muttering about DIY values at local shows.
So, sliced bread won’t be losing any sleep, but HiFi Handgrenades are a decent addition to the melodic punk roster. If you’re pining for the days when being punk meant avoiding designer clothes rather than being sponsored by them, Carry On might just be the musical meal you’re hungry for.
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Posted in Music reviews |
Tags: Carry On, HiFi Handgrenades, melodic punk, punk
