Booji Boys: Tube Reducer 12″

Description

“Ever found yourself staring at the sleeve of a record from before your time, thinking to yourself, I wish Id been around for these guys? Well, wake up and smell the vinyl the best fucking punk band of your generation has already released two bona fide classics, and here theyre dropping their third.

Tube Reducer follows 2017s double whammy of their self-titled debut and its gnarlier-than-thou follow-up Weekend Rocker the latter of which was released on Xmas day, cuz whats more festive than the gift of ultra-lo-fi punk that sounds like The Undertones playing Smarter Than U inside a hairdryer while dragging The Jags by their skinny ties and throwing them in a chemical waste dump?

And guess what? Its more of the good stuff. In fact it could well be their best record so far. Sonically, you should know what to expect by now a disregard for fidelity thatd make Guided By Voices knock back another beer or 12 in appreciation; songs that sound way more effortlessly simple than they necessarily are; melodies thatll burrow their way into your head even as you fight through the fuzz to make out what the hell vocalist Alex Mitchell is actually singing

Stevie Cool is the bona fide winner this time the scuzzed-out powerpop anthem to end all scuzzed-out powerpop anthems but theres not a bad cut on offer here. Nothing Good blazes by in a fit of nail-biting energy and hooks so razor-sharp you could use em to cut through sheet metal, and if youve not donned your pogo-ing shoes to throw yourself between the walls of your house when Life As A Fed kicks in well shit, man, do you even punk rock? By the utterly batshit closer Moto-Hard theyve even thrown a brass section into the mix, skronking away cheerily and deliriously like Flippers Sex Bomb running the wrong way up an escalator.

Basically, with every passing record, the songs get even more brain-searingly awesome, the vocals get more buried and the air above your head gets punched that bit harder. Booji Boys are on a roll. Its anybodys guess as to how long the Halifax-hailing quintet can continue to put out records as heroically thrilling as this, but at least weve got em in the here and now. For fucks sake, treasure em while you can.”

Will Fitzpatrick.

Our take: Latest LP from this prolific band from Halifax, Nova Scotia. If you havent been paying attention, since 2016 Booji Boys has released three LPs, a slew of tapes and 7s, and been hyped up by Iggy Fucking Pop. Their catchy lead guitar lines bear an undeniable resemblance to the Undertones, they record everything in true shit-fi(delity), and when you first hear it, it sounds like someone playing an AM radio in a loud factory. However, the songs reward your continued attention with criss-crossing earworm melodies. Thats Booji Boys in a nutshell. If youre already a fan, I can confirm that the Booji Boys deliver more of the goods on this LP, though I sense somecreative restlessness, particularly on Tube Reducers B side. It all still sounds like Booji Boys, butthe songs are shot through with more quirky rhythms, tempo changes, and chaotic forays from which theyre always able to reel themselves back in the nick of time. You probably alreadymade up your mind about Booji Boys and I dont think Tube Reducer will change that, but if youre a fan, its hard to imagine you wont think this is the bands most accomplished record.