Review Summary: Well played debut EP that mostly stays in the 'pure punk' tradition.
Quite often there’s talk of ‘pure punk’. But whenever somebody tries to give you a definition what that would be, disagreements start flying around. Sixties garage, the ‘original’ Seventies wave, “Oi, Oi,”, what? In essence, it seems to have boiled down to a ‘classic’ dress code, established in the second part of the Seventies (mohawks, pins et al) and fast guitar and rhythm rush in mostly less than two and a half minutes. With or without the ‘compulsory’ shouts of one, two three…
In many ways Florida (of all places) band ButchQueen and the Bad Habits and their debut EP Bare Grits, in many ways present all of the above-named elements. No one, two three, though, and not that is missed in any way. From the cover and the band’s garb through the track lengths (EP barre passes the 11 minutes mark), through the music itself, with exceptions that prove the rule.
The first three tracks here fit the musical definition of punk as ‘certified’ by the likes of original Sex Pistols, The Damned and later on the likes of NoFx and Rancid. Fast, furious and… a bit formulaic. If you like that, the title track, “Devil Standing By” and “Mindless and Dull American Null” will go down a storm. The last track mentioned even has a ska guitar run quite popular with the late seventies punkers.
With the last two tracks, ButchQueen tries to mix it up a bit and possibly give up a bit on their true mission. “No Matter What They Say” steers more in the direction of the Iggy & The Stooges than ‘true punk’ and is quite possibly the best track here. “Whole World is Watching Me Blues” is exactly what the title says - a blues. Along with the lyrics throughout, the band seems to try to make a few commentaries with their tongues in their cheeks. It is also worth saying that they got all the musical elements they wanted to present down to a pat and they certainly know how to play. It sounds like they can play almost anything.
Still, even with the predominant punk stance, there’s an element of uncertainty where exactly ButchQueen and the Bad Habits. This brief EP, albeit good, is certainly not enough to pass a judgment. Yet.
