Review Summary: "It's an energy that hits you like a nose-bleed."
A few weeks back, this reviewer spotted a massive red mohawk in the thumbnail of a suggested video for a music clip by The Unseen. The song was ‘Carry On’ by New-Zealand punk rockers The Rabble, track seven off of their first album, ‘No Clue, No Future.’ While the song in itself was reasonably catchy and a good listen, the comments section itself was the most revealing of the band’s general sound and a snapshot of the punk scene as a whole. Sadly, we all know this comments section, the familiar apocalyptic confrontation of gushy pop-punk fanboys and vitriolic ‘hardcore’ elitists, featuring the necessary top rated comment about how everyone should shut up and enjoy the punk, and how punk is about making the music you want and not some objective definition. And all that ***.
I enjoyed the song enough to watch a few more clips by the band and eventually picked up the band’s debut, ‘No Clue, No Future.’
After multiple listens, it became clear there was measure of validity in each opinion featured in the abovementioned comments section. ‘No Clue, No Future’ is definitely a punk rock album but carries a strong pop vibe, although mainly in song structure and focus; the harsh guitar work leaves no doubt as to which genre the band intend to be identified with.
The album opener, “Sing With Me” kicks off with a catchy drum beat before surprisingly heavy guitars make their entrance and complete the intro of the song; the verse capers along to an unmistakably Rancid-esque ska beat and careens headlong into a bouncy, simplistic chorus that just about overwhelms the listener with its energy.
It’s tight, it’s short, it’s catchy and it’s a very enjoyable opener.
"Who I Am" finds the band alternating ‘yeah yeah’ choruses, punkabilly rhythms and a surprising hard rock section covered by gang chants; the singer barks "fuck you!" as the drums finally revert to a punk beat to cap a memorable minute and thirty-six seconds. This song in particular showcases the band’s remarkable ability to remain creative where many punk and street punk bands tend to confuse ‘short and tight’ with ‘fast and scrappy’.
“Frustrated”, while not as diverse as its predecessor, rises above the level of filler despite its similarly short length (1:33). However, it is immediately put on the back burner in favor of “Friday Night”, a pop-punk anthem that will have the young ’uns two-stepping in delight, the hardcore exclusivists groaning in protest and the neutral listener likely captivated by its skilful blending of the best of both worlds.
For the next highlight of the album one must wait until “Carry On” and its mandolin intro, its honest (albeit a tad soppy) lyrics and its pounding drumwork in the bridge. This is not to say that the slower “Bad Reputation” or “Break Away”, which again borrows heavily from Rancid, are filler tracks: while each have a distinctive sound and are certainly good songs, in this reviewer’s opinion they simply fade in comparison to the better tracks on the album.
Unfortunately, and while I won’t use the tired expression ‘The album tends to drag in the middle’, this general idea wouldn’t be untrue of ‘No Clue, No Future’. “Nose Bleed” cements the bands distinctive sound without being outstanding, while “Enemy” and “What to Do” sacrifice the creativity which makes The Rabble’s strength in favour of reckless speed and street punk grit, with mixed results.
Thankfully, “Take a Walk” returns to familiar ground and although mostly uninventive, its chorus and place it firmly among the better picks of the record.
While galloping street punker “Live Yer Life” is disappointing, its disappointment lasts only all of a minute and twenty-eight seconds and quickly makes way for the closer, “Addicted to the Bone”. This song is nothing special but its (unavoidably gang-chanted) chorus saves the day somewhat and leaves one, if not overly impressed, at least hungry for The Rabble’s next effort.
Top tracks:
"Friday Night"
"Carry On"
