LFDD 4 Way Split review

Now this is an awesome album. You’ve got four of the best punk bands from Perth, all with distinctly different styles to suit whatever mood you’re in, being represented on a massive 23 track album. The only way I’m going to be able to review this is by discussing each band separately, so let’s get into it!

This album begins with The Lungs, and anyone who’s seen these guys live will know that they are pretty much the most hardcore band on the album. I don’t mean that in a musical sense, I mean that in a ‘missing teeth, tattoos, piercings etc’ sense. They seem like the kind of guys who just live and breathe punk, and even if you’ve never seen them live, song titles such as ‘Chicks Dig Assholes’, ‘Head Like A Cunt’ and ‘Sex, Drugs, Rock & Roll’ should pretty much give that away. Fortunately, their songs are as catchy and fun as they are heavy, making their contribution to this album a very enjoyable one.

Next up are one of my personal faves ZXSPECKY, who despite their inclusion on this album, refuse to be labelled as ‘punk’. Their contribution is a set of fun, light-hearted pop songs that don’t take themselves too seriously, played at high speed. Funnily enough, Specky’s six songs consists of three from their upcoming album Vegetative State, and three others which I assume are old unreleased or B-side tracks. The change in style is very noticeable and quite jarring, but on the other hand, it’s interesting to have that comparison between old and new. Overall, this section of the album is a fun change of pace from the other sections… and besides, if I don’t say good things about these guys I may get a song dedication in the vein of ‘Puerto Chicxulub’ (a song which makes fun of a poorly written review).

Third on the list are The New Husseins, a more traditional kind of punk rock with extremely blokey vocals. These guys know how to have fun but can also rock as hard as anyone else, and both of these elements are demonstrated through one of the greatest drinking songs of recent memory: ‘Alcohol’. Other highlights include ‘Sniper’ and ‘Chooky’, and while this particular list of songs is the smallest on the album (5 instead of 6), it holds its own quite well.

Last but certainly not least are Perth’s favourite streetpunx, Surprise Sex Attack. Their section picks up right where ‘A Romantic Interlude’ left off, which means the songs consist mostly of ultra fast punk rock with screaming vocals. There are also some slower, ska-influenced sections, and the album ends with a cover of ‘Dirty Old Town’, a singalong favourite at live shows. SSA distinguish themselves on this album by being the most intense and frenetic band, and while the others had at least one ‘fun’ song each, SSA sound deadly serious all the way through.

The four sections of this album not only sound great on their own, but they complement each other really well, meaning that the album sounds like a complete package as opposed to a bunch of disjointed songs. It’s fun to listen to, great value for money, and best of all, contains something for everyone- well, everyone who likes punk rock anyway. Definitely worth buying.


MARK V