Joe and the Shitboys 'THE RESON FOR HARDCORE VIBES' - Album Review

From the very first seconds of the first track, “Drugz R’4 Kidz”, Joe and The Shitboys launch into a jubilantly heavy rant about the need for kids to take drugs. With lines like “why do drugs? you’re a grown up”, it’s the kind of slick dark humour that will either create smirks on the faces of the converted or disgust in the face of detractors.

Self-described as a “vegan bisexual Faroese punk band”, the Shitboys mix a live comedy act with punk purism and millennial themes ranging from homophobia to misogyny and Facebook. Clocking in at only ten minutes (in true punk rock fashion, none of the tracks hit the two minute mark) “The Reson For Hard Core Vibes” is a short burst of rage which manages to successfully merge modern social commentary with witty lyrics and heavy instrumentation.     

 

The bands aggressively life affirming “Life Is Great, You Suck” takes aim at apathetic millennials with great vigour and scathing remarks (“don’t kill yourself, just f*ck off”). They then break into a “cover” of Wonderwall, resulting in a brutal cacophony which is closer to resembling a nuclear powerplant outbreak than the Oasis classic (although some people may prefer the former option).

 

The tongue is so firmly in cheek with these songs that the intent may go over many listeners heads. Punk has always had a mean-spirited sense of humour that runs in tandem with its nihilistic outlook (the best example of this on the album is the twenty two second vegan anthem “If You Believe In Eating Meat Start With Your Dog”). While the Shitboys manage to cover a broad range of themes in ten minutes with biting humour, there is a feeling that a lot of the songs are only surface level and don’t quite reach the heights of satire that they could. The album, in all its brevity, has plenty of bark but not enough bite. However, if the Shitboys live reputation lives up to its name, then this debut could put the band on the map as the best bisexual vegan punk band from the Faroe islands (at the moment).    

Josh Lambie

@jlamb325