Punks You Can Trust

In the mid ’80s, a fuzzy, grungy and way-ahead-of-its-time garage punk band formed in Australia, releasing their first EP, Down on the Farm, in 1985. Now, thirty years later, Cosmic Psychos are re-releasing their first three records– Down on the Farm, Cosmic Psychos and Go the Hack, alongside a tour and a documentary about their career and their influence on the grunge and punk scene called Blokes You Can Trust (named after their 1990 LP), which features music legends such as “King” Buzz Osborne of Melvins fame. Hopefully, this band will be recognized for the hidden talent they are. Equal parts early, old school working class, street punk and fuzzy post-punk garage noise with a healthy splash of psychedelia makes this band a must-hear for any fans of trashy, heavy music.

Each album included in this re-release has its own separate flavor that makes it an engaging compilation from beginning to end. Down on the Farm has a distinct, ’70s-influenced stoner rock vibe that can be heard in its opening track, “Custom Credit,” showcasing a more melodic, if a bit whiny, style of vocals than in the rest of their music. On a completely different note, their self-titled first full release closes with a trashy, full-on rock ‘n’ roll tune aptly titled “David Lee Roth.” The more chaotic, sleazy style continues, though still with a substantial psychedelic kick, on Go The Hack with the track “Out of the Band.” Each with their own distinguishable style, there is a definite musical thread that keeps the whole compilation together.

Punk music has, until now hopefully, done itself a great disservice by altogether ignoring Cosmic Psychos. One can only hope that this release, tour, and documentary will provide for this band the same revival that a similar venture did Anvil (except, of course, Cosmic Psychos is a truly talented band that deserves the attention) and we’ll start hearing a whole lot more from them.