A deeper look at the grooves pressed into the “Subculture Rock N’ Roll” b/w “Pleaser” split 7” single by The Drowns and Last Gang. Few things are as potentially harrowing for artists as a split 7” single release. Granted, a 7” can present several potential decisions which could make or break a band on the back of that release, but it’s even harder when a band has just one song to work with AND potentially has to compete with another band on the same release, just to be remembered. Because of the obvious potential obstacles, why a band would voluntarily agree to be on a split 7” single is a mystery – but there’s no denying that it can also work out pretty well, if everything lines up just right. Take the Drowns’ split 7” single which features Last Gang on its’ B-side, for example; on it, both bands change their established sounds slightly in order to contrast against each other, but also compliment the contribution of the other band as well. It’s a razor-thin margin to walk, but both bands do it really well on this single.
For their contribution, the Drowns don’t just take a page from the Bon Scott era of ACDC, they take the whole damned book and prove they know how to read from it. Right away, singer Aaron Rev barks aggressively over a really smooth rock n’ punk chord progression which sounds like it could have been from any of the songs that appeared on Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap, right down to the chants of, “Can you feel it” that hit right before the song’s chorus. Problematically, there isn’t a whole lot else to the song beyond that (it closes with a reading of the song’s title, repeated for a little over two minutes), but it still holds up to repeated listens – every time you want to hear something courageously dumb but anthemic.
As good as some listeners may find “Subculture Rock N’ Roll” to be though, Last Gang’s “Pleaser” absolutely decimates it for power, quality and potential repeat listening. From note one, listeners will know that they’re in for something special as singer Brenna Red turns up the volume on her own inimitable presence and strikes a very “Joan Jett” pose as she growls her way through three minutes of pop-punk bliss. Better still, “Pleaser” feels like an “all killer, no filler” affair; there is no solo, no no bridge and no bullshit, and lines like, “Spoon-fed, pre-chewed edible/ No one loves you when you’re tired and old” and “The problem with a dream/ Is waking up lonely” are only the greatest highlights in a song that is just too good to try and pick apart; listeners will find that, before long, they just try to absorb the song in its entirety, and then curse when they realize that it’s only three minutes long.
After having run front-to-back with this single, listeners will know that it did its job: baited them into wanting more music from both of the bands included. In the Drowns’ case, finding more of the band’s music is easy – the band’s catalogue has no shortage of other releases on Pirates Press to meet demand. For The Last Gang though, let this critic’s endorsement serve as notice that the band needs to make more music available as soon as possible. [Bill Adams]
Artist:
https://www.thelastgang.com
https://www.facebook.com/thelastgangmusic
https://www.instagram.com/thelastgangmusic
https://thedrownsrock.com
https://www.facebook.com/thedrowns
https://www.instagram.com/thedrowns/?hl=en
Album:
The “Subculture Rock N’ Roll” b/w “Pleaser” split 7” is out now. Buy it here, directly from Pirates Press Records.
