ALBUM REVIEW: Bad Manners – Balks
From Idaho, USA we are introduced to punk trio BALKS and their debut full-length Bad Manners. Having only formed in Spring last year, the group describe their music as a stripped back version of punk rock that focuses on “melody and energy.” Sounds interesting, so what’s the result?
As the album opens with Kevin You Are What The French Call we are immediately greeted with strong, distorted guitar riffs which then kick fully into a fun and energetic fun track complete with vocals that offer familiarity to us as the listener. It’s fast and energetic, yet not fully in your face, and draws comparison to a lot of punk that’s come before it. This is a trend that continues throughout the record, as seen in the next two tracks; Go Bag is a fast grunge-punk song that is reminiscent of early 90s GREEN DAY, more specifically during their Dookie era; while Dead Tongues brings back memories of early 2010s pop-punk, for example.
In fact, it is a fair statement to say that this entire album relies on nostalgia where songs remind us of different eras and styles within the punk genre, but manages to avoid coming across as blatant copy-cat of other bands. It might not be fully unique, yet it remains fun and enjoyable to listen to.
And it’s also fair to say that this album will be so fun to hear live. It’s easy to imagine a live show where everyone is jumping around, creating mosh-pits and shouting along to lyrics, as seen in Shop Smart Shop S Matt that has a loud and fast intro which builds up and gets you ready for a drop. The waiting pays off with a satisfying scream that’s the perfect indication that it’s time for a mosh pit. Another prime example is seventh track We Named The Dog Indiana (an Indiana Jones reference – we approve!) – an energetic number that gets you pumped up and makes you want to jump around at a live show.
Admittedly, the majority of the tracks do start to blend together which makes it hard to distinguish between them, but it’s easily forgiven with the songs being so fun and enjoyable. For a debut record though, a bit more variation might have helped them to stand out amongst other artists within the scene, but given that they only formed over a year ago this is still a solid effort. There will be plenty more to come from BALKS and they have time to develop and experiment with their sound. And we look forward to hearing it!
Rating: 7/10
Bad Manners is out now via self-release.
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