Rockfreaks.net

Swingin' Utters

Fistful Of Hollow

Written by: PP on 29/12/2014 00:04:29

Swingin' Utters mean business this time around. After an eight year break between "Dead Flowers, Bottles, Bluegrass, And Bones" and 2011's "Here, Under Protest", the band have churned out three albums in four years with ninth full-length "Fistful of Hollow" following less than a year and a half after the lackluster "Poorly Formed". At this stage it's also fairly unreasonable to expect Swingin' Utters to deliver anything else but a Swingin' Utters record - that is, a groovy Fat Wreck punk rock expression dispositioned somewhere between Bad Religion, Social Distortion and Descendents - so that is exactly what they have done on "Fistful Of Hollow". It sounds like all other records by the band following in the truest Bad Religion idealism about change being unnecessary when you've nailed your sound. Only this time, the songs are pretty good compared to the disappointing "Poorly Formed" from last year, which left next to no memorable impression on the listener.

While opener "Alice" is pretty much Swingin' Utters on autopilot, delivering a coarsely sung, straight up punk rock piece straight away, it's the following few tracks that really elevate "Fistful Of Hollow" above its predecessor. The title track is super catchy, as is "Tell Them Told You So", and "From The Towers To The Tenements" which comes straight after. Later on, "Agonist" provides yet another catchy and singalongable melody alongside a nice, driving uptempo beat that's essentially the theme of the whole album. The songs have a good energy, and as a result feel more catchy and danceable, probably resulting in non-stop movement from the crowd's side in sweaty live environments. Generally, the vibe is upbeat and makes you feel like the band truly believed in their songs this time around. Folk and alt-country / Americana make their appearances in between the punk rock layers, but never as the leading factor to keep in line with the straightforward songwriting approach that was dominant during the 90s. And since the point here has been to write 90s punk rock with no additional bullshit or other distracting factors from the core melodies, mission has been accomplished to say the least. It might leave fans of depth-laden punk rock missing out, but those who enjoy the beloved Fat Wreck brand of punk rock will find plenty to like here.

At 15 tracks, the record feels slightly too long in the end, and the closing track "End Of The Weak" is practically a direct rip off from NOFX's classic "Scavenger Type". Same melody vocally and instrumentally, it's strange it went through considering this is Fat Mike's label after all. But these are but minor gripes on a record full of rock solid, straight up punk rock songs.

Download: Fistful Of Hollow, Tell Them Told You So, Agonist
For the fans of: Bad Religion, Social Distortion, Descendents, Dead To Me
Listen: Facebook

Release date 11.11.2014
Fat Wreck Chords