Born to raise hell with three chords
Hackney three-piece Trashcat have returned with their follow-up to their 2008 debut album "Too Much Ain't Enough". The punk rockers have stuck to their strengths with nine-track release "Living In The City", pumping out anthemic tunes with driving choruses. This trio was born to punk rock.
You may well have seen and heard it all before; the three chord songs, the excessively-repeated choruses, the chugging rhythms. It's punk and it makes no apologies. Trashcat's latest release touches on familiar turf, but they strut over it with such style, confidence and charm that you forget that these sounds have been populating our airwaves for decades. If you're an originality scout, be on your way. But with loveable choruses such as 'Born To Punk Rock' and 'Living In the City' on offer, you'd be a fool to turn your noses up.
Tracks such as 'Mr Detestable' and 'Waiting' both richly employ off-beat guitar strokes to add a welcome degree of variety to Trashcat's style. The harmonic composition of the former's chord progression makes for a slightly jarring sound, but the latter drives on with absolute ease, quickly making amends. When listening to 'Over the Limit', the Lee Mack skit about being 'so Cockney that it hurts' comes to mind. As you subject yourself to the choruses, you won't be hearing frontman Darragh pronounce the 't' in "limit" and this is the way it's going to be. Don't argue; Trashcat don't seem the type of band you want to mess with.
Closing track 'Don't Make Sense' concludes the album in quite an contrasting manner, initially ditching the crunching sound exercised throughout the album for a refreshingly alternative sound. It is very much a showcase opportunity for bassist/vocalist Carly, with her playful basslines and casual vocal style greatly assistancing the branching out of the Trashcat musical identity.
"Living In the City" is a solid release from the punk rock Londoners. Each chorus is drilled relentlessly until it is tattooed into your mind, with the album spiking its way into your heart. If three chord punk isn't your idea of good fun, Trashcat aren't going to be the ones to turn your life upside down. However, if you yearn to discover the latest sounds emanating from the British underground scene, then this rowdy lot are worthy of your attention. Anyway, surely any punk act that can include the word "bollocksology" in their lyrics is one to be checked out?