Teenage Bottlerocket – Tales From Wyoming

In June of last year Wyoming punk rockers Teenage Bottlerocket announced that they’ve signed to Rise Records. We all know this label for some releases of great punk rock bands like Face To Face, Bouncing Souls and Hot Water Music, but nowadays it’s more like a breeding ground for generic metalcore/emo bands you’d expect at Vans Warped Tour. Would this mean they’d change their formula?

The answer is no. And even I was concerned, because Teenage Bottlerocket is a band I can really appreciate. Their last two albums are positioned high in my all time top 100. Tales From Wyoming continues where they left off with Freak Out!. In fact, the opening track In My Head sounds just like Freak Out!‘s eponymous opening track. The other 13 tracks on the album are also written in Teenage Bottlerocket’s catchy signature sound, which is heavily influenced by bands such as Ramones, Misfits and Screeching Weasel. And again this album is full of hooks and typical lyrics about love and humorous stories. Songs like Nothing Else Matters (When I’m With You) and Haunted House prove that Teenage Bottlerocket have not lost their touch. Kody Templeman still has one of the best melodic voices in punk rock. Combine that with super tight downstrokes on the guitars and a hi-hat frenzy on the drums and you got yourself a very satisfying record. And I’m sure that these songs can move some arms and legs at a live show.

Never change a winning team: Tales From Wyoming is a genuine record, has a couple of nice surprises, but is nowhere revolutionary. Anyone who’s into Teenage Bottlerocket can surely appreciate this album and I would certainly recommend to check it out if you’re not. And if you’re not convinced yet I would advise you to listen to Freak Out!, They Came From The Shadows or even Warning Device. Oh, and Teenage Bottlerocket will also tour Europe this spring. See you in the pit!

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