Review Summary: An album parents will never understand.
Do not be turned off (or turned on) by the Ku Klux Klan on the cover art. It’s just a way of mocking President Reagan. Sarcastic jokes such as this will never let parents understand this album. Even though by the name of the band you should think they would be an exclusively political punk rock band, thankfully they have more than the president to bash and sing about.
Start to finish Volume 1 Youth Anthems for the New Order is soaked in energy. Most of the songs are sung intoxicated. In fact, the lead singer was kidnapped by his band mates and forced to finish the tracks after they picked him up dysfunctional from drug use. At no point does this album get repetitive or boring. It is just way too short for that. Every instrument brings energy and something interesting to the table. The vocals are great sing along material and the lyrics do not focus on only one subject. Even though anarchy may be mentioned occasionally, the only other punk band I know that sings about both peace and anarchy is Crass.
The new version of this album, Volume 1, was released four years after Youth Anthems for the New Order with three new tracks, making it a rather short LP instead of an EP. It clocks in at seventeen and a half minutes including the new tracks so it should not be considered an LP necessarily. Nevertheless it will find a way into your punk collection if you give it a try.
