Punknews.orgPunknews.org Logo
Review Navigator

BackForward

Features

 

Contests

 


Reviews



Straight outta Thousand Oaks, California (the same scene that gave birth to Drive Thru semi-heroes Halifax) come the Braces, a four-piece sloppy’n’snotty pop-punk band reminiscent of some of the last throes of Epitaph’s pop-punk/skate-punk days.

In fact, toss an assortment of some of the lesser celebrated Punk-O-Rama samplings from types like Union 13, Bombshell Rocks, Heideroosjes, and Osker into a vat of power chords, wailing harmonies, punchy skate-punk rhythms, and adolescent vocals and the resulting vapors will conjure into the Braces. While the band spends a little excess time messing around with dreary, downtempo intros in songs like “Disappear” and “Retard,” by the time they hit the snapping (and occasionally bouncing) verses, the Braces establish themselves along the line of their self-described influences like Lagwagon with maybe a bit more of a Boy Kicks Girl flair.

The tracks that eschew the slow starts of the aforementioned bode more fairly well overall, such as the album opener “Unfinished,” which screams by in a mere minute and ten seconds. “Totalitarian” leans more heavily on melody than vigor at first, but then explodes forward while lead vocalist Zack Sekular shouts “Go away! You can’t stay for long / We have your right to say whatever we want.” At their best, the Braces evoke melodic parallels to the Gamits, especially since Sekular’s tonal qualities are reminiscent of the latter’s only constant in vocalist Chris Fogal. At their worst, the juvenile joke song “Dr. Phil” with its lyrics of “Dr. Phil why don’t you go back fucking south/Dr. Phil, I know I’m still confused / And I’m so abused / Dr. Phil, I’m still fucked up enough to say, ‘Fuck you’” doesn’t fit with the overall tone the band creates with their melodies, and to a lesser extent, their lyrics (which still need plenty of work).

But even if they do still have some maturing to do as a band, the youngsters that make up the Braces have taken an admirable route in following a path paved by bands that hit their peak over a decade ago, and have seemingly learned a thing or two from those bands along the way.






Please login or register to post comments.
What are the benefits of having a Punknews.org account?
  • Share your opinion by posting comments on the stories that interest you
  • Rate music and bands and help shape the weekly top ten
  • Let Punknews.org use your ratings to help you find bands and albums you might like
  • Customize features on the site to get the news the way you want.

    Posted by Phantom_Maggot on 2008-08-08 01:47:13

    Boy Kicks Girls...now that is a name I have not heard in a long time...a long time.

    Posted by SilentStorms on 2008-08-08 00:10:30
    My Score:

    I don't think I've bought a true punk album in years, but I want this. Considering my fav bands are Botch, Pelican, Rocky Votaloto, The Blood Brothers, and Saetia; this is quite the find! Score's for the 3 songs I heard on their myspace.

    Posted by Crystalyn on 2008-08-06 04:38:28
    My Score:

    im in love with the album and the band. its a really awesome thing to be able to hear how the braces have progressed since their first release of yeah right in 2006. they have produced several favorites in '06 and have also released new personal favorites on the revised version of the album. plus the band is just epic.

    Posted by muskawo_ on 2008-08-05 21:42:38
    My Score:

    score is for the skate vid YEAH RIGHT, which I'm sure is better than this band cause its one of the best skate vids ever

    Posted by JoshGeyer on 2008-08-05 19:14:21
    My Score:

    I NEED A REASON to beat eTown to the ground. HAHA

    Posted by JoshGeyer on 2008-08-05 19:11:12

    eTOWN is a CHOWD and a HESHER

    Posted by joshgeyer on 2008-08-05 19:06:07
    My Score:

    All im saying is that the BRACES Kick Major ASS.

    ZACK is a DREAMBOAT

    Posted by cicadabass on 2008-08-05 18:31:17
    My Score:

    I fucking love the braces!!!!

    Posted by etown on 2008-08-05 18:11:36
    My Score:

    After listening to the album for a month, it now feels like a classic.

    Yeah it's got a few things in there that could be 86'd for the good of the album.

    But it's their first effort --- give them a little time to find their true voice. It's in-your-face, loose, tight fun, and has some political content in there as well.

    A lot on this album kicks ass and is fresh and original at the same time it's reverential to past punk heroes.

    Posted by avengedalexander on 2008-08-05 17:33:34

    Well stated. I believe the only thing that was left out was that they are the MOST promising band to bring back punk. I have never met a more interesting band whose only focus is music. I think we can expect great things from this up and coming punk band.

    Posted by recordsatnite on 2008-08-05 16:42:05
    My Score:

    These guys are definitely worth checking out. "Pirate" is one of my favorites.

    Posted by icanhaschezburger on 2008-08-05 16:38:31

    A few songs don't sound like they fit in with the rest of the album but other than that, this is pretty solid.

    Posted by JaredK on 2008-08-05 16:22:18
    My Score:

    Score is for early bombshell rocks...street art gallery

    Posted by Rastid on 2008-08-05 14:12:40
    My Score:

    score is for the ska band, not this band.

    Posted by asxyouxwish on 2008-08-05 12:44:03
    My Score:

    Lol

    © 1999-2006 Punknews.org • Terms of Use • Privacy • FAQ • About • ISSN 1710-5366 • RSS RSS Icon