Living With Lions
Dude Manor
Adeline Records
8/10
First of all, this is a 10”. No one releases those anymore, so kudos to that. Some of this reminds me a bit of Fun Size, this incredible band from Richmond, Virginia back in the mid to late nineties. They never made it very big, even by underground punk standards, but the lead singer did go on to form River City High, who garnered a hefty bit more attention. The vocalist sounds a lot like Gabe Saporta from Midtown, not a bad thing in the least. At times the record has a very socal sound. So if Living with Lions was a mixed drink, its instructions would read something like “Mix equal parts Midtown and Fun Size, add a splash of Fat Wreck and enjoy.”
These guys aren’t breaking any new ground in terms of where punk is going, but this album is really catchy. Within the canon of punk so far they have crafted a very, very nice collection of highly listenable tunes. Plus, they make really good use of pickslides, which are, of course, the new cowbell. I recommend it earnestly.
-Luke Toney