Punk rock is best when it’s raw, loud, and leaves no room to breathe — and Brisbane’s The Unknowns do exactly that on Looking From The Outside. Their name might sound like a throwaway, but on this third LP they play like lifers, firing off 12 tracks of no-nonsense, razor-sharp punk rock ’n’ roll.

From opener All Grown Up onward, the swagger and execution pull you right in, and it never lets up. From there, the record hits a sweet spot between snotty and bratty, catchy and loud, hooks and riffs, tight and rockin’. The run of Hold My Shadow, I Know That You Know, Psychotic, and Tongue Tied feels like one of punk’s finest stretches of the 2020s.

Maybe I’m in hyperbole mode after spinning this thing three times in a row, but honestly, if Looking From The Outside had dropped in the late ’70s, we’d be calling it a stone-cold classic by now.

What a band. What a record. Out now on Bargain Bin and Drunken Sailor Records.

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