Album Review: The Men – New York City

Anarchy in Brooklyn

Punk rockers looking for a thrashing good time have met their match with The Men’s ninth album, New York City, an LP hailed by fans as “an amalgamation of badass rock and roll!” Emerging from Brooklyn’s music scene some 15 years ago, The Men have forged ahead as a conglomeration of punk and garage rock, their sound as infectious as their persona. 

New York City is a ruthless, unapologetic proclamation of The Men’s stamp on revolutionized punk rock, a nod to leather-clad English punk rockers the Sex Pistols. Despite their primal garage rock roots, The Men continue to revolutionize the music scene. They seamlessly enmesh grunge subtleties with refined melodies, their music tied up with a leather studded bow. Crisp, clean guitar licks and snappy vocals twist and turn from the album’s inception until its completion, each layered track adding to the organized yet astounding chaos.

Although New York City is a reimagined take on classic garage rock, its overarching sound remains reminiscent of its punk rock predecessors, complete with high-octane, dynamic vocals amidst a recalcitrant ethos that refuses to quit. 

“Hard Livin’” immediately grabs listeners by the studded belt, the track’s urgency as infectious as it is penetrating. “Peace of Mind” slows its role ever so slightly, but just enough for the contagious guitar riffs to shatter the realm between melodic and non-conformist. 

“Echo” continues with its addicting, speaker-pummeling assault, an expanse of talent 15 years in the making. Dripping with adrenaline, the full-throttle track conjures visions of stage diving and sweaty punk rockers hovering over guitars like angry little trolls, annihilating the fretboard and screaming into the abyss. 

“God Bless The USA” dropkicks listeners across the pond, a nod to “God Save The Queen,” served up Brooklyn-style. The Men embolden fans to lace up their Doc Martens and surrender to the days of punk rock gone by, each new album an unrelenting reminder that the wheel need not be reinvented— just reimagined.