The members of Baltimore based Slumlords have been around the proverbial block a few times and know their niche. On their previous releases the band wrote street punk influenced hardcore songs. The songs tackled both serious topics as well as everyday topics that could be joked about. On the Stremph!, is comprised of, you guessed it, a combination of street punk and straight-up hardcore covering similar topics - only this time they have one-upped the humor.
Slumlords kick things off with the title track, a ruckus inspiring intro track with sing-alongs of "We're on the Stremph!" From here on out it's a mixture of what they do best. There are hardcore songs, punk songs, and songs that mix both genres. Songs like "Coffee & Cigarettes" and "Thursday Night" have a definite oi-punk influence to them. "Digging in Corners" and "Who are You Fighting?" on the other hand head in the hardcore direction - the latter of which contains a solid breakdown mid-90's style rounding out the song. Slumlords did throw in the 80's metal-esque "Heavy Metal God (That Lives on My Block)" - but the music is obviously there to play off the lyrics. And that pretty much sums up the Slumlords formula. But where the band really distinguishes themselves is in their lyrics.
When listening to On the Stremph!, or any Slumlords release for that matter, it is completely obvious that the band members have a good sense of humor. Sure they talk about serious topics, but when they do, it's in a sarcastic and hilarious manner. "Who are You Fighting?" hits on the subject of violence at shows. "Kids on Ritalin" is about just that, putting kids on Ritalin as a cure for "uncharacteristic behavior." And then there are songs like "Drunk at the YOT Reunion," "Involuntary Skinhead," and "Beer Goggles." You don't need to be a literary scholar to figure out what these songs are about, but that doesn't really matter. Hardcore is about having a good time, and by the looks of it, Slumlords are having a blast. My personal favorite track is "Lester Bangs." Here, vocalist Jeff Perlin, spouts off reasons why Lester Bangs - the first and best rock critic ever - should be glad he is dead. Perlin hits on it all - boy bands, fake punk, Christian rock, etcââ¬Â¦
Slumlords are not out to reinvent hardcore or punk music - they're out to have a good time. And there is no problem with that; everything that can be done in hardcore has been done. So rather than try to fake that they're doing something new, Slumlords just acknowledge it, and have fun.
