Review Summary: Keep fucking that chicken.
The Ergs!, pizza, surf punk, Jersey, yadda yadda. Backstory: complete.
Mutiny at Muscle Beach is scuzzy as shit, and
Night Birds are as incorrigible as ever. Their brand of Southern Cali-inspired punk is unruly, but ferocious enough to freeze your O-face in place. Vocalist Brian Gorsegner is at his most versatile, with each snarl, yelp, and scream perfectly placed between addictive sing-a-longs.
Mutiny is up to its nuts in blood and guts, and every member is slathered in special sauce. Guitarist PJ Russo delivers sweat-stained riff after booze-soaked solo; drummer Darick Slater nosedives at peregrine speed within the LP’s first few seconds, and maintains it for a cozy 25 minutes; bassist Joe Keller (of the now-defunct Ergs) is there too : ] killing it. While the surf elements aren’t as prevalent as on their
Monster Surf 7-inch or even 2013’s
Born to Die in Suburbia,
Mutiny at Muscle Beach's jaw-dropping tenacity befits a group of hateful, thirty-something fathers-of-the-year. While self-destruction tends to be, by definition, selfish, Night Birds do it for the kids.
Referring to ex-wrestler Mick Foley, Gorsegner explains, “
This guy just destroys himself for his craft. […] He likes to put a smile on peoples’ faces and go out and destroy himself and be reckless” (in a promotional interview with Fat Wreck Records).
Mutiny at Muscle Beach captures this ethos, as the band wipes sweat off their brows with conviction before tossing you the rag. Opener “(I’m) Wired” is a killer stress release, vaulting over the gate with an energy level that would have any normal person passing out within seconds. It’s almost impossible to listen to follow-up “Life is Not Amusement for Me” and sit still. There’s really no ebb and flow throughout
Mutiny - save for the occasional reference to
The Big Lebowski,
Twilight Zone, or Fox News’ Ernie Anastos - and it runs wide open, wheels wobbling. The transitions throughout are top-notch; the anthemic title track shifts smoothly into “Son of Dad” (possible
Seinfeld reference). “King Kong” (a nod to Major T.J. Kong from
Dr. Strangelove - “
I could blow up your house, so you better. BE. WARE!”) is an example of the band’s no-BS reverence for classic cinema.
Mutiny at Muscle Beach oozes personality, and manages to pay homage to numerous things the band members hold dear and be an impressive listen aside. Everything sounds slick and cohesive while taking cues from
Adolescents,
Man or Astro-Man?, and
Dead Kennedys, making Night Birds an ‘80s punk fan’s wet dream in the 2010s. Even roughly ten listens later, I can’t wipe this idiot grin off my face.
