Album Review: Poison Boys - "Don't You Turn On Me"

 

Hailing from Chicago, this is the Poison Boys' second album and after hearing a few of the singles leading up to it and enjoying their New York Dolls/Stooges style sleaziness, I was looking forward to hearing it. So, have they delivered on the potential of those singles then? Let's find out shall we?...

The title track opens things here and is a prime slice of Dollsy low-slung swagger with a cheeky nod to the Stones' Start Me Up. The excellently titled Livin' On The Edge Of The Knife quickly pops the tempo up a notch with a scuzzy slice of Dictators style street-punk with some added honky tonk piano just to add to the sleaze factor. Those with fond memories of bands like the Heart Attacks and the Chelsea Smiles from a decade or so ago should find plenty to like with this one.

Day By Day disappointingly isn't a cover of the old Generation X classic but don't worry, it's still a high octane slice of Stooges menace with some Dead Boys style flamethrower guitar riffs over the top before former single Little Speedway Girl adds some sugar sweet Ramones melodies to the formula. The feral riff of Keep Knocking goes from a Zodiac Mindwarp style intro to sounding like a great long lost Uncle Sam track circa Heaven Or Hollywood while the self-explanatory Dick In The Dirt has a scummy swagger that could almost be the River City Rebels during their all-too-brief flirtation with the big time.

Former single Can't Get You Out Of My Mind is another slice of Ramones style power pop before Nothing But Darkness ups the chaos with its thrashy GBH style riff and shouted vocals. She's Nowhere goes back into more melodic territory with some sublime Barracudas style gang backing vocals. Sweet Marie is a real curveball led on by acoustic guitars and piano to create something genuinely different and show that this band can do much more than rehash other people's ideas as the Underwater World style saxophone on the woozy seasick I Was Cryin' shows too. Which just leaves a well handled cover of Jerry Nolan's Take A Chance With Me to sign this one off in style. 

We've certainly had a fair few Ramones/Dolls influenced bands passing through these pages of late but Poison Boys are definitely one of the standout ones. They've just got that indefinable something that elevates them from being a competent glam-punk band to a genuinely good one with killer riffs, hooks that stick in your brain and stubbornly refuse to leave and an ear for a melody that'll make you want to bang your head until your neck snaps. The fact that they bring to mind so many great bands who went there before them but mix the formula together to make sure it sounds like they're putting their own stamp on it is commendable and this is pretty much a must-listen for all those who like shoutalong sleazy low-slung rock 'n' roll. Even better, it's available free, gratis and for nowt from their Bandcamp page. You know what to do.

Bandcamp Link

NITE SONGS RATING: 🌔🌔🌔🌔🌔🌔🌔🌔🌑🌑 (8/10)

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