A dirty old tramp is lying in the alleyway, he is filthy, and probably higher than the last Apollo mission to space, and he is singing. Got a new drug, got a new drug. Its a sickening yet somehow comforting sight. It is real life, it is the ghost under the bed, the porn hidden in your dads closet, it's what everyone has but no-one wants to see. It's Hinterland.
This is Got a new drug, a 3 track offering from one of Nottingham's best punk acts, and by God are they punk. This is no Greenday inspired, Blink 182, Busted bubble-gum pop punk though. This is the real deal.
Title track 'Got A New Drug' blasts in (after a brief rambling of what sounds like a completely fucked up crack head screaming) with one of the dirtiest guitars I have heard in a long time, I am not talking dirty football boots here, I mean like a soldiers boots after he has been dragged through a field of dying corpses, and then been sick on himself. This guitar is soon joined by drums that make smashing up the kitchen sound musical and then queue the vocals. This is about as snotty, dirty and punky as you get these days. It has everything that punk should embody, Dirty guitars, crashing drums, thumping bass, screamy, arrogant in your face vocals that are still catchy enough to make you scream your lower intestine out. Perfect punk.
Track 2 'Wheres The Comedian, has a similar formula, the guitar isn't quiet as ear bleeding this time but the vocals really suit the song. The lyrics arent quite as catchy as the previous track, but it still makes you what to get a 12 inch pole and stick it right up the systems (and everyone elses) rear end!This is a fairly short track and again, is top draw old school punk with a real british, raw and energetic feel.
Final Track 'On And On' starts with a nice little picking riff before kicking into a fast, slap in the face rumble of power chord action, before slipping back into a gentler verse but with a kick-ass infectious chorus (do not underestimate the catchiness), and it has more dynamics than the other 2 tracks.
I have seen Hinterland live and this song really stood out. It jumps into your head and runs around smashing up your insides, playing baseball with your brain and you are singing it all day. On and on and on you got the melody! Its hard to say a lot about this sort of punk, its fairly straight forward. I doubt it will be changing the world and its nothing overly original but it is just what the skin head anarchist ordered, in your face, angry, emotional charged, arrogant, dirty, fuck you music, exactly how punk should be.
There are a lot of bands around who try to embody the spirit of 70's anarchy though, and most never really hit the policeman on the head but Hinterland really do. They are everything Johnny Rotten, Sid Vicious, Lou Reid and Iggy Pop would have wanted, they are simple, to the point, infectious and they are sticking their middle finger up at everything moral and its grandmother. Some people don't get punk, if your one of them you might not rate Hinterland, on the other hand, if you do understand the beauty of simple, infectious, fighting punk music, you will love Hinterland. The British punk scene might just have 'got a new drug' here.
Overall (3.5 / 5)
Review by Gaz
