Sunken Monkey - Party Scars

2014 – Bumface Records

By Phillip Smith; Sep 6, 2014

The four members of Sunken Monkey, a punk rock band from Burnley, Lancashire that’s been together in one format or another since the mid noughties, are known only as, Spindle (guitar and vocals), Rob (guitar), Adam (bass) and Hendy (drums).  These guys happen to have a knack for making extremely catchy poppy punk songs and Party Scars, their sophomore album, is thirteen tracks of headbangin’ fun.

“After All” breaks out of the gate, in beast-mode, rocking full blast with tasty guitar riffs and vocals reminiscent of Joe Strummer. I love the blending voices of the dual guitars in the fast-paced “Don’t Dodge a Game of Dares”.  This frenzied track is one of my favorites.  Kudos as well to “More Beer Than Blood” a testosterone fueled party anthem laden with unforgettable metal riffs fit for Viking warriors.

Another strong contender is “Pissing in the Wind”.  Starting off with a quirky intro, this breakup song turns into a full metal assault led by Hendy as he furiously bashes the hell out of his drums. Spindle and Rob, teaming up on guitars, add a smidge of thrash to keep it heavy without it being over-bearing. I really like this one.

The music from Sunken Monkey quickly brings to mind bands from the eighties and nineties such as  Blink 182, NOFX, and the Ataris.  When it comes to power pop punk, Party Scars is a quite solid album from start to finish. It’s a pleasing little treat which nicely hits the spot.