When Bangers release a new record, you always know what to expect. Big riffs and big rants. Crazy Fucking Dreams is no exception. Like a gruffer, British Descendents but with more references to the ocean and the government, Bangers rip through ten absolute… well, bangers.
That’s not to say that Bangers don’t have a few surprises up their sleeve. From the strange, psychedelic solo filled with weird panting in ‘Part Animal’ to the unexpected horns in opening tune ‘A Curious Mix’, Bangers are stepping into new and dangerous territory. However, it all comes together smoothly and it’s barrels of fun. Not enough bands incorporate horns in some way or another these days, but that’s a conversation for another time. Possibly my favourite thing about a Bangers record is that it always feels like a conversation. They’re brilliant storytellers, and ‘The Woods’ is the perfect example of this – in the muted verses, Roo embarks on a story about existence and being before they all launch into an absolutely massive chorus. But even throughout the story, there’s always a question to be asked, a thought to be probed, and you can’t help but give in. Lyrically, the record’s as great as you’d come to expect from Bangers – my personal favourite being the entirety of ‘Blind Hindsight’, as in its message to ‘fuck nostalgia’, the song itself sounds like a complete throwback to 90s skatepunk, and Bangers’ keen sense of irony and self-effacing humour is well and truly in play. And of course, there’s a lot of bloody good rants all over.
What else is present is gleeful, unabashed punk rock fury. I told you there were big riffs, and I wasn’t lying. If there was one track that could sum up the whole record, ‘Captain’s Log’ pretty much does it. It’s got some punk-as-fuck bass, furious drumming and about a minute of vocals before the instrumental takes over and they take it down a notch. And this is why Bangers are better than most people ever, because they’re unafraid of kicking out sweet jams and killer solos while still maintaining an enviable freneticism. Good stuff indeed.
This might possibly be the best Bangers record yet. But I still maintain they should have named it Miley Cyruz.
4.5 out of 5 high fives!