Devon Sandwich Bring Back Classic Punk Sound with New Perspectives on New Self-Titled Album
4.5 out of 5 stars
The Sydney, Australia punk band Devon Sandwich released their second full-length album about a week and a half ago, and it is quintessential surf punk at its finest.
The album is 10 songs long, but the run time is only 18 minutes with two songs being under 40 seconds long. Pretty punk rock, if you ask me.
The band seems to exist in between modern pop punk and the 1980’s punk sound that was popularized by bands like Black Flag and Circle Jerks but a lot of their songs are highly sarcastic or outright comedic.
The new album which is their self-titled album, has the most professional sound of all of their albums/EP’s so far, and there are a couple of really good songs on this album that really makes it worth checking out.
The album starts out with the short but to the point power punk “Ya Fucked.” The song seems to be about an annoying or downright scandalous friend who everyone seems to hate. So, yeah, that person should pretty much fuck off.
“Another Casualty” is a poke at the “woke” crowd and all the things that people will make themselves believe in order to take a moral high ground in life. For example, don’t eat gluten (even if they aren’t gluten intolerant) just to talk about it as if others should do the same. I can’t agree more that people like that are casualties of stupidity.
I am not sure what is my favorite song on this album, but I do really like “Hate Me Now, Love Me Later.” It’s fast, but a bit more full, and it reminds me of the really punk songs from back in the 80’s and early 90’s that started to find those melodic harmonies and guitar leads. Sort of like when Screeching Weasel started putting albums like Bark Like a Dog out.
“Clueless” is definitely one of the best songs on the album as well. In fact, I think it IS my favorite song on the album. Got a bit of everything. Guitar solo, vocal harmonies, quick beat with a cool breakdown as well.
The song “You Said You Like Tennis” definitely seems like a personal moment in time that brings up a memory of something very annoying that happened. And just like that memory, it comes and goes quickly.
“Not a Lot Now” is another homage to the pre-pop-punk era and works really well. I find it to be simultaneously edgy and accessible. It borders that experimental sound that bands played when they just didn’t really know what else to do and the refined sound of more famous rock bands.
The band definitely takes the piss out of themselves and the rest of the world on several occasions which is something I found endearing about Aussie bands in general. They never seem to get too big of a head about anything.
“The Circle Jerk of Life” pretty much solidifies that tone and attitude.
“Bat Shit Crazy” ends the album by blazing through a two-minute anti-love song. It’s a bit of a punk anthem as well.
Only in punk songs do you get harmonies and gang vocals to loudly belt out, “Baaaaat, shiiiiiiit, craaaaaazy.”
This album is fast and fun, and comes and goes like a bolt of lightning.
The band deserves a few more ears and eyes on them after this release.
Just for the record though, I will absolutely disagree with their Instagram statement that “tomato sauce” (read: Ketchup for the Americans) doesn’t belong in the fridge. Sure, if you eat it on everything and use a bottle in a few weeks, that is fine, but if you want it to stay fresh as long as possible, you gotta put it in the fridge!
Such Aussies to create controversy over the trivial. Nothing a conversation over a pint of 4X Gold and a Sausage Roll won’t solve though.