Babes – s/t LP – Styrofoam Drone

Here’s one that got put off for awhile. BABES, the savage garage punk crew from New Orleans dropped their debut on Pizza Burglar Records last year. We’re better late than never to share this little monster!

Released back in September, Babes don’t appear to have any other records to their name, but there’s no doubt that that will soon change. They’re a three piece and they self-describe their wild sound simply as “swamp rock.” Fair enough. They also share a drummer with scrappy punk band Buck Biloxi & the Fucks, who (you guessed it!) are also from New Orleans.

The album opens with the metal-crusted guitars in “Fun,” backed by pounding percussion and reverberating vocals. It quickly sets the tone of the LP, which becomes equal parts punk, pop and noise, and many parts bat-shit-insane. These three boys do a number on our ears, berating us blow after blow with their perfectly caffeinated slop-pop. Their songs are littered with anything from shrieking vocals (“Pussy Plastered”), mangled hooks (“Modern Lover”) and menacing synth work (“Jesus Pieces”), crafting up this lethally corrupted pop-punk. No song lasts over 2.5 minutes, meaning they get straight to the point and as sloppily as fucking possible. Babes is a grab-bag of this twisted swamp punk, with each speedy track being a monster of it’s own kind.

As for the remainder, this record is plastered with highlight after highlight. “My Poor Friends Suck” makes way with blown-out guitars, sounding tinny and sharp against a rhythm of thuds. It’s forever blazing in the red, shoving noisy, mangled soloing straight down our throats. “Jesus Pieces” is led by jagged guitars and twisted electronics, but lyrics about smoking crack with strangers and fake ID’s steal the show. The same goes for “Children of God,” “Whipits,” and “Coffin Nail,” all of which come with some kind of crazy vocal hook. “We Are the Babes” is an anthem of sorts, wherein the Babes remind us just who they are. It’s shadowy and totally evil, coming together with cavernous vocal chants and warbled noise.

It’s a bummer we were a little late on Babes, but better late than never! Get listening and you’ll soon understand why this album was topping the charts at the end of 2013.

My Rating: SS
Genre/ Tags: Punk, Garage Rock, Lo-Fi, Pop
Babes LP: Tracklist:
1.) Fun
2.) My Poor Friends Suck
3.) Pussy Plastered
4.) Shit Myself (Can’t Quit Myself)
5.) Modern Lover
6.) Cig Party
7.) Jesus Pieces
8.) Children of God
9.) Whipits
10.) We Are the Babes
11.) Coffin Nail
12.) Sniffin’ Glue
13.) Lord of the Flies
14.) Blud Babi
15.) El Camino (not on vinyl)
16.) Party Song (not on vinyl)