Backseat Angels – Saturday Night Shakes

The new one from The Backseat Angels, Saturday Night Shakes, is the latest punk-pop release from the folks at Rum Bar Records. The Ramones influence becomes immediately apparent with the opening track, “My Baby Wants to Brainwash My Mind”, with its chugging guitar and catchy chorus.

“School Bus Driver” has me stumped. While it’s a first rate glam-bubblegum song, it’s never wise to write about cruising for action in a school bus. Might as well be a van with tinted windows and no handles. Or an ice cream truck. That’s a road better left untraveled, in my opinion.

Things get back on track with another superb bubblegum track, “Peppermint Girl”. Equal parts T-Rex and Tommy James, this track is one big hook. The horns make “To Be a Better Man” sound as if it would have fit in nicely with tracks from End of The Century and “Stupid Brat” is pure Ramones. The Sweet influence in for “Crazy Like a Fox” is undeniable. While I can’t say it’s one of the better tracks on Saturday Night Shakes, it speaks to the band’s impeccable taste in music.

Saturday Night Shakes is a fun record and another winner from Rum Bar. You can pick it up in digital form from their bandcamp page or get it on CD from Kool Kat Musik.