Punk Ruins is the latest album by Epitaph records Punk super group Fake Names who feature former members of Bad Religion, Refused, Girls Against Boys, Refused, Rocket from the Crypt and many others, the Fake Names are Brian Baker, Michael Hampton, Dennis Lyxzen, Johnny Temple and new drummer Mario Rubalcaba. The album was recorded in Chicago at Electrical Audio with Matthew Barnhardy producing.
The A-side opens with Until It's Normal like that's even possible nowadays, they are disgusted and distracted trying to make everyone see the truth as they see it, over a great pop punk riff, sounding a bit like Foo Fighters.
Good Old Days sadly isn't a cover of the theme tune to the Good old days, its ravishingly less verbose and melodically intrusive than the flabbergasting acts on that show, this is good catchy fun and will have plenty of us bouncing off the walls.
The albums title tune Punk Ruins has the sense of foreboding and regret for the clubs that were once the band members second homes, but now sit in ruins turned into high end clothes shops, Apple stores, hotels or bus stations, they seek redemption and the ability to keep on playing punk until they have their zimmer frames taken away.
Cover The Distance between Sum 41 and Foo Fighters and make damn certain you have a cool riff and catchy lyrics to make sure you know how it feels when everyone is so far apart, that the difference between hope and pain is an unbridgeable chasm.
What I Tell Myself is knowing in a Miamis meet The Knack power pop punk way, that takes them a million miles away from violent hardcore gigs. The guitar solo almost screams to have the guitarist running across a stage playing it while a packed audience sings the chorus back at them.
Diamond Buzz may be great when you are up on it, but soon enough it all comes down, this is all about the crash from that Diamond Buzz and how bad it makes you feel, this is slower more ponderous almost like a Stone Temple Pilots style ballad.
The B-side opens with Language Lost a real American issue, with the mangling of the language used to push across all sorts of myths and scare stories, they are trying to deal with the pain of not being quite as catchy as Green Day. Beautiful Scars we all have them, as long as you can get up again afterwards it will be ok, the guitars will help lift your spirits once more.
If You Could See Me Today has an almost music hall title and sentiments, they admit it's too late to change, they know it's over, the fighting is done, no more ammo left and revenge doesn't feel right, so they have moved on and the regrets show through the staccato riff.
Little Wonders is looking back to when they were young upcoming kids spreading joy and wonder wherever they went, in their various bands, this has a great catchy chorus and the drums push home the point.
Scream if you love pop punk bands who make catchy as all hell tunes like this one and the rest of the album, go on let one rip and enjoy yourself with Fake Names. The album closes with Paradise that questions all that we believe about Paradise, one things for certain you won't find Axl there and it's not twice as nice.
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