When it comes to most life-changing events I like to think back to "The Simpsons". In this case, there is an episode where Grandpa Simpson tells Homer about how music changes and then warns him that one day it will happen to him too, to which Homer of course rejects. I listen to about as much modern music as anyone and yet all I can do is sit back and think about the "good old days" and feel like I'm getting old because what is happening right now isn't considered to be the best of times by me. Is it really all that bad though or is it just because the times are getting away from me? (Please tell me it's really all that bad)
On "Heaven" Sunshine Gun Club channel a lot of punk bands from back when punk rock music still meant something. A song such as "Lovely and Empty" can bring back thought of the Vandals and Guttermouth, before they released "Look What I Almost Stepped In" and "Covered With Ants" respectively. There are also these punk rock sounds of a band such as a band from Epitaph but back during the time of the first three, maybe four "Punk-O-Rama" compilations.
Specific songs can also come out, such as "And Now We Dance" by Vandals, "Jukebox Lean" by New Bomb Turks and just the Sex Pistols in general. On the side of rock n roll, a bit of Tora Tora Torrance can be heard yet it still brings it back to that punk rock sound like older NOFX. The vocals can be as fast paced as I've ever heard and this is just some kind of combination of various artists I've heard before but not together like this.
Through these eight songs, Sunshine Gun Club provides hope that there won't be a generational gap between them and the next great punk rock band. It just felt like Epitaph, Fat Wreck Chords and Nitro Records were all blowing up at once and then they all kind of went quiet. Okay, they were still releasing music but it wasn't the same. There were probably still quality punk and hardcore bands out there it's just that they were likely harder to find because Napster got shut down by Metallica.
I can assure you that it will be quite some time before another band comes out that will be as well liked by me as Sunshine Gun Club, providing that old school (but not too old yet) punk rock vibe with screamy rock n roll while yet adding something modern to it. But just to have a peer, just to be able to start another movement... It'd be nice. It is a lot to expect from one band, but Sunshine Gun Club are what I would consider to be the new leaders of the punk n roll revolution. You'll want to get on board with this one.
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