Beat on the brats!
Speak Up! is the first original material to come from all girl Ramones tribute band The Ramonas. Yeah, bit of an oxymoron but anyone who has seen The Ramonas live will know that they are clearly talented enough to turn their hand to more than covering other people's songs. There are a couple of things to be thankful for here, the first being that it doesn't really sound much like The Ramones, which is a good thing (for several reasons) and the second is that it's a well produced and catchy song that is more than capable of standing on it's own.
A gentle, lilting vocal intro gives way to a nod to their mentors in the form of 1, 2, 3, 4! and it erupts into a fast, melodic romp for the next couple of minutes. It's a catchy riff and it sits somewhere between the more melodic moments of The Misfits and the early 90s sound of US punk. It's polished with a big, full sound and a particularly pleasing rumbling bass. The vocals could maybe do with a little grit to really push it home but it's a solid beginning that certainly leaves you wanting to hear more.
It remains to be seen how they balance their live set as the original material grows but it's a welcome problem!