By DJ Monk
As its title suggests, this is the debut offering from Disgraceland. Now, the name of the band may be new to many, including itself, but those of two of its constituent members should be familiar to long-term UR readers, as frontman Ollie Stygall and drummer Foz previously were two-thirds of Grifter, who produced one of my favourite albums of 2011 and also one of the best-titled EPs ever, in the previous year’s ‘The Simplicity Of The Riff Is Key’.
After Grifter ground to a halt a little more than a year ago, the duo didn’t rest on their laurels or take a well-deserved holiday after 14 years of playing every toilet that would have them: no, instead they immediately teamed up with bassist Chris Glew (veteran of the likes of Fatty Chan, Drivechain, Six Claw Paw, Toxic Shock Syndrome and more) and got straight back to work, squirreling themselves away writing new tunes before making their live debut at the end of last year… and, now, they’re ready to share the fruits of their labours with the wider Uberverse, via this collection of fragrant garage punk tunes…
Yes, you read that correctly: Disgraceland have not followed the same dusty rock ‘n’ roll highway that saw Grifter comfortably sit alongside the likes of one-time labelmates Trucker Diablo, but have taken a sharp left turn at the next exit and headed off into the realm of punk ‘n’ roll. Yes, the riffs which were the cornerstone of Grifter’s are still there, but there is a much acidic, cynical – and even sceptical – attitude displayed on this brief introductory collection: the sound of a group of musicians disillusioned with what has gone before and how the “machine” crushed their dreams and now determined to do their own thing, as evinced on the spoken vocal on ‘Just Some Fucking Words’ and the anarchic, defiant closer ‘100% Cunt’.
While not straying too far from the basic punk rock formula, Disgraceland integrate many of the genre’s different elements and sounds, from the hardcore speed of opener ‘You Deserve It’ through the rockabilly stomp of ‘I Gots It All’ to the glorious rolling riff and singalong chorus of the aforementioned Clash-style closer. In the process, they have produced a gloriously fun collection which entertains on every level, while at the same time provoking interest in hearing more – and I look forward to doing so.
- ‘EP#1’is out now. You can get your copy HERE.
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