If you were a teenager in the late 90’s like myself, Fat Wreck Chords was some of your early introduction to punk. Among those respective artists, Snuff was no exception.
Now, I know you’re probably thinking “Wow! They’re still a band?! I totally forgot about these guys.” That was my reaction as well.
Aside from a song or two on the Fat Music compilations, that might be all you can gather. “Whatever happened to the likely lads?” They have returned with 5-4-3-2-1…Perhaps? bringing their unique style of melodic punk tinged with mod influences with them. Some trombone here, dashes of Hammond organ there…The album begins with some very polished mid-tempo songs which don’t quite blow me away. They seem to be going through the motions at first. The acoustic version of the opening track “In The Stocks” easily surpasses its electric counterpart. It isn’t until the fast and angry “Mumbo Jumbo” and “Rat Run” halfway through that we get the Snuff you may (or may not) remember. “EFL” reminds of background music to a dive piano bar which I could take or leave but follows up much stronger with “Bones For Company.”
At this point in listening to 5-4-3-2-1…Perhaps?, I have formed a like/don’t love relationship with it. I like portions of it, but certainly don’t love it as a whole. The fast songs hold up well but the mid-tempo and slow ones (save “All Good Things”) that were the cohesive glue on for example 1996’s Demmamussabebonk or 1997’s Potatoes And Melons fall short. While I am intrigued that Snuff has returned with something new, there is not quite enough behind this release to make it memorable.
