Punk’s not dead
Time to get out the spike jackets, dye your hair and get a mullet—Punk’s back. The Australian Punk band, The Chats, shows the rest of the world how to have fun and not to give a damn. High Risk Behaviour is good ol’ fashioned punk. The beats are fast and chaotic; the lyrics are cynical and fun. It’s refreshing to hear the old school punk in these times. Even though the album just came out this month, it could easily be from the ’70s when Punk was in its beginnings.
Even the vocals remind one of Johnny Rotten of the legendary Sex Pistols. It is hard to dig deep on the lyrics, because they just aren’t deep enough, something very punk. If it’s deep and meaningful, is it still punk? The songs are rather short but full of electric guitars and destruction. The album has defined mosh pit material and even punks like Steve-o from the movie SLC Punk! would approve.
The first track, “Stinker,” sounds like it already started without its audience; with vocals that are similar to the B52’s, it seems to start in the middle of the song, no beginning. “Drunk n Disorderly” is just about that, being drunk because of boredom. The track could easily be the anthem of many people right now. “The Clap” is filled with Australian slang, but it’s worth looking up the words. The next track, “Identity Theft,” is a great reminder never to trust the VPN when going on illegal sites. “Kids Need Guns” is probably one of the most political songs on the album. It’s a cynical view of gun violence in America.
“Keep the Grubs Out” on the other side is a more personal song. Through the song, the band deals with an incident last year in which a band member was not allowed to enter particular bar in Brisbane, because of his mullet. The whole story got pretty big in the local bar and punk scene.
Other songs like “Dine n Dash” and “Pub Feed” are all about food. With “Ross River” and “Heat Stroke,” the band takes on the issue of diseases and extremely hot climate. Like “Drunk n Disorderly,” the next track, “Billy Backwash’s Day” is about being drunk (or rather wanting to be drunk) and being a jerk to others. It won’t get more punk than this. The song features a sweet little guitar solo towards the end.
Drums lead into “4573,” and the chorus of this song is perfect for a live performance because it’s so easy to scream the numbers. Anarchy has found its way home with “Don’t Tell Me What To Do” with its anti-authority theme and provocative lyrics. The most sarcastic the album gets is with the last song “Better Than You,” a song about people who just think they know it all. The song also contains the “Best Solo Ever” before getting into the chorus.
It’s very easy to summarize the album after listening to it, Sex, alcohol, rock n roll and mullets. High Risk Behaviour proves the audience that punk is still alive and well. It’s not political or inspiring; it’s just whatever it wants to be. The album should be on every punk party playlist; there will be a high risk for mosh pits.
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