Suburban Mayhem
Mint 400, 2023
10/10
An Albany, New York outfit with a penchant for punk sounds that might remind you of Frank Turner or The Menzingers, this sophomore album from E.R.I.E. i.e. TJ Foster (guitar, vocals, programming, keys), Matt Delgado (guitars, backing vocals), Chad Flewwelling (drums) and Levi Jennes (bass) surrounds themes of doom-scrolling, school shootings, and even grooming in the rock’n’roll scene.
“Oh Well” opens the listen with a breathy, acoustic guitar fueled climate, which builds into a thumping, anthemic rocker that’s quite impressive, and “Bad Man’s World” follows with all the hallmarks of a great punk tune- bouncy bass, hard hitting drums, swirling guitar and melodic vocals that immediately invites a sing-along.
Closer to the middle, “Long Way Around” welcomes sax from Andrew Grella and Nathaniel McKeever’s trumpet and Elias Assimakapolous’ trombone for the calm versus busy textures that are strong on mood, while the dreamy “Can’t Stop Runnin’” escalates into a sturdy mid-tempo climate that’s full of grit and tunefulness.
Residing near the end, the well timed gang vocals of “The Motions” embraces some post-punk nods amid the dynamic rhythm section, and “Suburban Mayhem (Holy Fuck)” exits with a great balance between driving guitar, cathartic singing and an emotional intensity that’s harmonic yet rugged.
As someone who’s been milling around the punk scene for 30+ years, it’s pretty rare I find myself truly exited about anything falling in the pop-punk realm. The last time might be Banner Pilot’s 2009 album, Collapser. E.R.I.E, however, are about as great as modern punk can get, especially if bands like The Gaslight Anthem, Run Forever or Against Me! mean anything to you.
Travels well with: Gentleman Rogues- A History Of Fatalism; Teenage Bottlerockets- So Dumb/So Stoked