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The Hextalls

Get Smashed

Written by: PP on 03/03/2010 01:30:57

"Who wants to get drunk and smash bumper cars?" is the opening line of Vancouver, Canada based The Hextall's appropriately titled fifth album "Get Smashed", summing up what the band and this album is all about in just one short sentence. Great, crunchy old school pop punk songs about getting drunk and doing stupid things, with hilarious lyrics ranging from catching your dad in the middle of the night wanking to Shania Twain country videos ("My Dad Vs. Shania Twain") and skipping church to play Pacman ("Pacman") to your Xbox not working ("My Xbox Got The Red Ring Of Death") and hating New York Rangers ("I Don't Wanna Be A New York Ranger")....yeah, you may have guessed it, this album isn't from the most serious end of the musical spectrum, but that's also it's biggest strength. They don't take themselves seriously, but don't fall into any of the cliché/generic traps either, firing two to three minute power pop tracks on all cylinders without stopping for any boring slow sections. In fact, they've got enough self irony to call one of their songs "Generic Mid-Record Power Ballad".

The guitars will bring into mind bands like Teenage Bottlerocket or Screeching Weasel, while the vocals lean strongly towards New Found Glory, but actually the closest match for The Hextalls is probably a band they've never heard about: the local Copenhagen pop punk outfit The National Shut Up. They, too, are renowned for their hilarious lyricism and unserious pop punk, which is what really sets The Hextalls apart from the rest of the genre. Lines like "your tongue was dancing in the mouth of some other guy" are as smart as they are funny, and when combined with bouncy, fast-paced instrumentation, they result in a super fun album that's perfect for all of us from the attention deficit disorder generation. With 17 songs packed into just over 28 minutes, the record is perfect length without feeling like it's hurried at all. And no, don't expect to hear any lightning speed d-beat punk rock either - there's no need when you have songs like "Rally" (11 seconds), "Tina Turner" (12 seconds) and "Diaper Change" (40 seconds).

Best songs on the record are "We're The Castle Crashers", "I'm A Recluse!", "I Don't Wanna Be A New York Ranger", "Bryan Adams", "I Met Her At The Ropetow" and "Pacman", but there aren't any bad songs on the record. Every song is entertaining in its own curious way, be it because of a cool lead riff or a hilarious lyric, and the choruses are absolutely infectious, so expect some big sing alongs if these guys ever gain enough popularity to play bigger venues. If you're looking for a fresh, fun, light hearted pop punk record, look no further than The Hextalls.

Download: I'm A Recluse, I Don't Wanna Be A New York Ranger, Pacman
For the fans of: The National Shut Up, New Found Glory, Teenage Bottlerocket, Screeching Weasel, The Dopamines
Listen: Myspace

Release date 01.02.2010
Bestest / Shredder / Rally / House Party