For a band with such an unashamedly violent name, Dad Punchers have, surprisingly, produced an album laden with gentle moments.
Their self-titled debut does, however, still contain all the familiar elements listeners have come to expect from American garage-punk over the last twenty years, including lyrics about the future, driving tests, never knowing why, and, of course, ‘dad’.
It works though, in the same way that all punk music works, by binding these seemingly banal elements together into raw, direct, and often poignant songs about the sad inevitability of modern suburban life and how much it sucks to be young.
Unfortunately, some of the lyrics don’t quite hit the mark, becoming simplistic rather than simply effective.
With the strained vocals from singer-songwriter Elliot Babin (better known as the drummer for American post-hardcore band Touché Amoré) depriving the tracks of any sing-along quality, and the band lacking the ferocity of more straight-up punk acts, there’s no escaping the flat moments.
Thankfully, Babin, like most good punk singers, doesn’t let a limited range hold back his singing, and he keeps the tracks short and sharp,, never lingering on an idea.
Dad Punchers sound best when they up the tempo, and it all comes together on ‘Backstock’, an energetic track based on the classic youthful lament that ‘you can’t help but feel that tonight’s just another night’.
Ultimately, there’s not a lot to distinguish Dad Punchers from the plethora of other punk and garage acts out there, but it’s a solid debut, and certainly one for fans of the genre, or anyone who just wants to feel that angst for a night.
