Rejected Kids

A New Chapter Has Begun

Written by: PP on 26/12/2011 03:03:07

With all the news reports recently about punks in Indonesia being detained and 're-educated' for looking like punks, which apparently is against local Muslim convention, I decided it's about time we take a look at some punk bands from the region. The first one I ran across was Rejected Kids, whose album "A New Chapter Has Begun" shares a soundscape so similar to the Western technical punk / skate punk scene that I don't think any of you would be able to guess their origin on first try.

Stringing together influence from highly technical bands like Belvedere and early Rufio, Rejected Kids sound a great deal like Belgian punk rockers Hogwash. They throw in a healthy amount of breakneck speed tight guitars from skate punk, and clean vocal harmonies that also recall No Use For A Name in places, to come up with a sound that essentially sounds like Belvedere gone skate punk. It's very competent technically, with complex guitar melodies elevated into the main focus on the disc, given how they are flying all over the fret despite the ridiculous speed throughout the disc, so the vocals automatically sound a little weaker as they are pushed to the background to make room for the technical flair instrumentally.

In fact, if any of the bands mentioned in this review are among your favorites, Rejected Kids do great justice to their sounds. But one thing I'm missing is an identity. The songs are reasonably good, but where Belvedere are renowned for their technicality, and Rufio for their brilliant vocalist and their playful guitar melodies, Rejected Kids are missing a sound that would make them identifiable instead of sounding like the seminal bands in the genre. That's not necessarily a bad thing, as shown here, but it's not going to get them much critical or fan acclaim over the long run. Nonetheless, it's an impressive example that solid technical/skate punk exists in Indonesia as well.

7

Download: Dystopia, Terima Kasih
For the fans of: Belvedere, Rufio, Hogwash, Half Hearted Hero
Listen: Soundcloud

Release date 12.07.2011
Bells On Records

Dystopia by rejected kids

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