Review → The Atom Age – Kill Surf City (2010)
The Atom Age - Kill Surf City
I’ve only heard of the Atom Age before from their split 7″ with the Queers, released by Asian Man Records. This was apparently their first recording, and this full-length being the second. Helluva a way to start things out! But I happened to win a copy of their album, Kill Surf City, from the wonderful Rocket Fuel podcast, which you should go check out at some point. Asian Man describes the Atom Age’s contribution to the aforementioned split as “Rocket From the Crypt influenced punk rock.” Color me intrigued!
Because vocals are the first thing that catch my attention, I have to talk about the vocals here. They simultaneously remind me of several other singers all mashed together. Namely, Jeff Rosenstock of Bomb the Music Industry!, Chicken of Dead to Me/Western Addiction, and Bender from Futurama. On “A.I.,” he even kind of sounds like Lars from Skankin’ Pickle. Is that weird? Maybe, but it’s accurate. In the best way possible.
As for the music itself, these guys have a sax player, which certainly helps add color to the music. While the comparison to RFTC makes sense once it was mentioned, the sax over these punk rock jams first reminded me of X-Ray Spex. Sounding like both RFTC and the Spex is some of the highest praise I can give a band, I should think, and these guys deserve it. And the horns are often interesting. On a few songs, the sax takes a lead at parts; namely “A.I.” where he goes into a great freakout in the bridge.
So should you check out this album? I think so. If you have any fondness for Rocket From the Crypt, you’ll find yourself nostalgic for songs like “On a Rope” while “Rock ‘n’ Roll and Why I Preach Against It” plays. But this isn’t just an RFTC cover band, despite being the easiest reference point. Their other influences, and the abilities of the vocalist definitely set them apart.
So, in closing, the album is some pretty straightforward punk rock, played powerfully and tightly. Melodic, midtempo, and catchy as hell. The sax may seem gimmicky to some, but it works, and I can’t imagine any of these songs without the horn adding that little flavor to the jams. Recommended.
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