The digital files I’ve been listening to as I write this review are all tagged to begin with the band name, e.g. “Bambies Teenage Night,” “Bambies Love Bite,” etc. It seems like a fitting metaphor. The Bambies play the kind of Ramones-adjacent garage-punk that’s often self-referential and in on their own joke. The Bambies play leather jacket-clad, straight-forward punky songs for people who love the electric guitar. While the songs are short and to the point, they mix in attention-grabbing licks and solos whenever they can.
I could pick out a number of moments on this 15 song record, but I’ll highlight “Devolution.” It has that familiar 4/4 beat, builds up to a group harmony, and then has a catchy, repetitive call-and-response style refrain. Midway through, the bass drops and revives the tempo for round two. Rinse. Repeat. Classic rock ‘n’ roll done right. It closes out with a 30-second guitar lead to keep the momentum going until that hard, clean finish. This single is probably the biggest sound on the record, but it’s very indicative of what the band, and Snotty Angels overall, is all about. Sometimes it has me thinking of a more grounded, raw version of The Briefs that maintains a bit of the snotty attitude, albeit with a little more heart and a little less costuming.
Think Dirtnap, Slovenly, Goner, and Lookout Records, meets Nuggets. Some might call it simple, basic rock ‘n’ roll. I’ll call it primal and timeless.
