I’d never heard of Pissed Jeans until I saw them live at ATP: Release The Bats a few years ago, and if ever a band were aptly named, they surely are, giving a decidedly rancorous performance (in a good way). I followed up seeing them live by buying a copy of “Hope For Men” which I love from beginning to end, mainly for it’s insanely banal yet deviant lyrics and their delivery. This is a different kettle of fish, seeming to be more of a straight up punk/hardcore record that sounds like it was recorded live (or near as dammit). The vocals are less distinct, but you still catch a lot of intriguing snippets of outsider observation and it’s a hell of a lot easier to imagine dancing round to this album than “Hope For Men”.
The band is on tour at the moment and I have an inkling that this album will come to life in a live setting, and while I’m not a massive punk or hardcore fan (so some of the album leaves me a bit cold) there are enough great songs (“Cafeteria Food”, “You’re Different In Person”, “Cathouse” and “Male Gaze”) to warrant buying it. If you’re familiar with Pissed Jeans it’s an enjoyable addition to their catalogue and if you’re new then surely you can’t fail to be impressed by lines like :
“Think you got it all figured out except, where to send your kids to school
Go ahead you can use the microwave, it’s an excellent kitchen tool”
PS – While doing the final “research” for the review I found out that Honeys was recorded by Alex Newport of Fudge Tunnel fame, so there’s some gossip or something for all you old fuckers out there.
Kim Monaghan
