Rockfreaks.net

Craig's Brother

Easily Won, Rarely Deserved

Written by: PP on 25/12/2022 13:51:29

Craig's Brother was formed during the golden era of melodic punk rock and released two seminal albums in 1998 and 2001, but never achieved a similar level of name recognition as their closest musical counterparts in Lagwagon. Their comeback album "The Insidious Lie" back in 2011 was an excellent reminder to just good how these guys are despite sounding almost exactly like Lagwagon, and then they went quiet again for the better part of the decade. "Easily Won, Rarely Deserved" is just their fourth album overall and the second one in 21 years, yet it sounds like they haven't missed a beat since the late 90s.

They open the record with "Putrefaction Of Trust", an all-instrumental punk rock song. It's a bold statement but it works surprisingly well with solid riffs and provides a base for how the rest of the record will sound like. The metallic solo towards the end is great, underscoring the darker atmosphere that encompasses this record. It's immediately followed by "Violent Faith", which features eerie Lagwagon vibes. It's a dark, tight skate-punk song with a great tempo and a fantastic chorus. Its great lyrics about how faith drives people to violence ensure you'll remember the song already from the first listen onward.

Then we have "Impostor Syndrome", which features great harmonies and hooks in textbook melodicore fashion. Think No Use For A Name inspired by Lagwagon instead. Similarly, "Superhero"'s dark vocals and classic skate punk melodies again draw direct parallels to Lagwagon post-"Resolve" era, while "Judgment Day" sounds almost verbatim to how NUFAN sounded like on "The Feel Good Record Of The Year" back in 2008.

None of these references carry a negative connotation, by the way. Craig's Brother channel their influences more as an honoring tribute, faithfully sourcing their sound from some of the greatest melodicore bands around and arriving at an expression that's just different enough to stand on its own.

At the same time, their songwriting is on par with the genre legends. The collection of songs on "Easily Won, Rarely Deserved" is a brilliant example of why people fell in love with this type of music in the first place. They are honest, unassuming skate-punk songs that don't try to be anything else than that. The songwriting is great throughout, the instrumentation is tight, and the vocals/lyrics deliver one memorable harmony after another. Infectiously catchy choruses and depth-laden lyrics place Craig's Brother within skate punk elite and continue to puzzle this writer as to why so few people seem to be aware of them. "Easily Won, Rarely Deserved" is one of the best albums in the genre this year, and should take its place in the seminal category after a few years have passed by.

Download: Violent Faith, Impostor Syndrome, Superhero, Terrible Slave
For the fans of: Lagwagon, No Use For A Name, Much The Same, Bodyjar, Trashed Ambulance
Listen: Facebook

Release date 11.11.2022
People Of Punk Rock Records