Following a slew of successful singles and some good ol’ fashioned non-stop touring, south-west indie punks WOAHNOWS have delivered their debut album on the consistently excellent Big Scary Monsters label. Understanding and Everything Else is packed with riotous riff rock interwoven with catchy pop hooks, successfully translating the duo’s raucous live experience into half an hour of solid punk bangers.
Their first release as a two-piece since the departure of former bassist Dan James, the interplay between singer-guitarist Tim Rowing Parker and drummer Adam Wherly is as tight as our newly elected government. The guitar riffs and drums organically meld together as one instrument, with a fantastically live feel to the recording.
Previous WOAHNOWS releases have been promising but, for this reviewer, somewhat samey in terms of sound and style; as much as I loved the likes of Go and Collective Aspiration the songs on Understanding… are far more distinctive and individual from each other. Each track has its own identity, from the fast riffy punk of ‘Sounds Like Spitting’ to the Tubelord-esque singalongs on ‘Life In Reverse’. The band even slow it down for some 6/8 balladry on ‘Neutral Haste’, which provides a welcome midway interlude. As ever with WOAHNOWS the vocals are stand-out brilliant, with some terrific gang shouts and harmonies throughout. They’ve even managed to squeeze in a cheeky hardcore section on album highlight ‘Livid / Rise’, which is gloriously vitriolic and will kick ass in a live setting.
The guitar tone throughout is bang-on, with some filthy fuzz contrasted with the sort of clarity that every riff-based indie band has been chasing since Dananananaykroyd’s debut. The guitar riffs worm their way into your brain, being equally as catchy as the vocal melodies and disprove the notion that punk rock ran of ideas years ago.
The album will no doubt appeal to fans of Gnarwolves, Brawlers and Pulled Apart By Horses, with infectious melodies perfectly balanced alongside a credible punk rock attitude and pit-worthy mosh-outs. It is worth mentioning what a perfect signing WOAHNOWS are for BSM; the band sound absolutely made for the label’s shouty yet catchy ethos, and the label are home to some ideal bedfellows for the Plymouth boys to hit the road with.
WOAHNOWS are touring the UK and Europe throughout May and June and will no doubt be soundtracking the summer festival season too. See you at the front!
4.5 out of 5 high fives!