Loud Boyz
Tough Love, Hard
Feelings
Cricket Cemetery
Released: June 28th 2015
On Anthrax’s, Sound of White Noise, they used a sample of Griffin Dunne in My Girl, saying, “Be dangerous unpredictable and make a lot of noise”. I don’t think a cool quote validates seeing such a sap filled film like that, but it sure could be the creed of Loud Boyz. These DC dudes are releasing their full length, Tough Love, Hard Feelings. The band is tight as hell, but still harnesses danger, unpredictability and well, yeah, Loud Boyz make a lot of noise.
Raw and raucous, a flood of influences crash my mental, but
the island of originality stays solid at the core. The grumpy stalwart in me
despises when someone tells me they like “punk” and then names some clean,
polished production band on a major label and an image. Loud Boyz are young and
celebrate many elements of Oi, Glam, rock, and fifty shades of punk. Pure
intent fuses and patches and slaps together these pieces without caution to
complete their body of sinister music.
Tough Love, Hard
Feelings is a heavy album mostly. But it is an angry album thoroughly. The
songwriting on certain songs, “Hard Feelings”, “Loud Boyz in Love”, “4 The
Ladies”, conjures the speed and tense frustration of 90’s streetpunk. They have
the ethos and appearance of an art space band. Certain songs will lend to that
crowd. In the end, this is all DIY punk. “#goodluck” will bring out the kids
for the pit with a vicious breakdown and sing along. Songs rip through speakers,
with a dirty twang and impressions of relentless beatings. “World is a Cage”
kills too.
The live feel of the production approach retains the classic
punk sound of this band. “Knives” kicks off the album with a Bad Brains’ Black Dots feel, with supplemental gang
vocals that will enrage a live crowd. The sweat will manifest on your
headphones. All five members push their limits. While the band has no real
boundaries, they never indulge. They never get too weird or veer to
experimental. A catchy strum is the foundation for most songs, but a harsh
feral feel is what you’ll remember afterwards.
Expect that this band
will light up shows, from VFW halls to basements. But they have the potential
to be bigger. They will make that decision. Their vision and sincerity is
palpable. The authenticity of the urgent need to spew unfettered truth in their
manner is undeniable. Keeping it this real will let them do whatever the hell
they want. They can go a different, more indie way, a la Iceage or Cerebal
Ballzy, or stay this clinically insane and ravage hardcore shows.
RIYL: Fucked Up, Cerebal Ballzy, Blue Bloods, Deep Sleep,
Cloak/Dagger, Pissed Jeans, Night Birds, Coliseum, Stiff Little Fingers,
Whiskey Rebels, 86 Mentality, Nerve Agents; 77 punk, early 80s LA hardcore.
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