Two weeks ago, Real Rejects (formerly Thee Artificial Rejects) dropped two of the best garage punk tracks I’d heard in 2024 yet. That statement became dated once I heard their nine-song debut album – one that easily fits on a 10″ 45RPM record.
From the OCD anthem opener I’m Not Allowed, it’s clear that Real Rejects are sonic alchemists, turning raw noise into pure gold. This quintet, all veterans from the Moncton (Canada) scene – T.J. Cabot (Phone Jerks, Nerve Button), Jesse Leblanc (Feral Trash), Claude Doiron (Nerve Button, Bad Luck #13), Sonic Hz, and Cam Murphy (Thee Requiems, Ghostown Belle) – plays with a fervor that is admirable. The bloodied strumming hand of T.J. Cabot on the back cover isn’t just album art; it’s a battle scar.
Not Allowed may be lo-fi, but it roars like a freight train. Even when they ditch the drums on the 70-second Tire Change, the song maintains its energy. And even when the chord progressions and melodies sound familiar (like in the amazingly fun one-two punch Bicycle Pit and Tin Foil Hat), Real Rejects prove that it is not about reinventing the wheel, but how you make it spin. And while the casual listener might zoom in on the amped-up energy, attentive ears will catch the comedic absurdity of the band in lines like “I’m stuck in a baby swing, let me out!” (from Stuck In A Baby Swing).
Not Allowed is out now through Alien Snatch! Records. I am definitely buying it.
Add to wantlist: Bandcamp