Crimson Riot is the best punk band to enter the scene in a long time. With Roxy Gunn and Christ Reject on vocals, the band sounds like a cross between Tsunami Bomb and New Found Glory.
Classy Punk for Trashy People is Crimson Riot’s debut album and comes on the heels of the band’s win on “We Will Rock You,” a competition show sponsored by Top Golf. The entire album is catchy and familiar, yet still fresh. It conjures up memories of pop-punks early-2000s heyday without making you feel like you’re desperately attempting to relive it.
Crimson Riot kicks the album off with “Riot,” a hard-rocking song about how we all need to stick together regardless of our differences. The band follows it up with “Anchor Me,” which is equally hard-rocking and approachable. In another era, the song would get extensive radio play and would be a shoo-in for the Billboard charts. Then again, The Interrupters are a ska band enjoying success, so it could still happen.
The other stand out songs are “Here’s the Bad News Laura (The Shake Machine is Down),” “The Ballad of Dr. Chop,” “I’m Not Punk,” and Hurt.” “Here’s the Bad News Laura” is a fun romp through the world’s worst McDonalds experience. “I’m Not Punk” rails against those who insist punks need to wear spikes and a Misfits patch when Chris points out that “punk was just a state of mind.” As for “Hurt,” the lyric “I may be young, but I’m not stupid” is reason enough to hand this album out at high schools everywhere.
If you’re not bopping your head and tapping your feet as you listen to Crimson Riot’s “Classy Punk for Trashy People, you’re doing something wrong.
Rating: 10 out of 10
