Though Got Head? is this Albany, NY punk foursome’s fourth album, it’s their first of new material in 27 years, as their 2022-issued third LP Past Due — which our Jack Rabid so vividly described in issue 91 as “feisty punk that’s both irritated and exhilarating, so jacked up on its own energy, it feels like a wild animal loosed, and good luck re-caging it” — was recorded in 1997. But despite the long layoff, they’re tighter and even more propulsive now, with veteran hardcore producer Don Fury (who once produced a demo of Rabid’s own punk band Even Worse, way back in 1982!) giving them a crisp, dynamic edge. As well, Duane Beer’s Charlie Harper/John Lydon-aping (complete with tongue-rolled R’s!) vocals are sharper and more refined, deliriously barking every line as if he’s just downed a case of Red Bull.
Each manic tune is padded with familiar riffs, from The Jam’s “In the City” and Sex Pistols’ “Holiday in the Sun” on “Commercial Free” to Generation X’s “Dancing With Myself” and The Rezillos’ “Top of the Pops” on the title track. Ditto Johnny Thunders and the Heartbreakers on “Punk Rock Ate Punk Rock” (whose “You can’t afford to lose” chorus all but mimics “Born to Lose”), The Ramones on “New Friends,” The Undertones on “She’s Onto You,” and The Dead Kennedys on “Leave Me Dry.” The AC/DC “Back in Black” into The Ramones’ “Blitzkrieg Bop” closer “Flock It” seals this bracing return.
**********
Trauma School Dropouts: Bandcamp | Facebook
Cacophone Records: Website | Facebook | Instagram
