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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.
