The bands with pure motives are always easily identifiable; in this case, 32FPS because they play a particular brand of melodic skate punk that Pennywise and Lagwagon made their own a good few trends ago. Now, without a bandwagon to jump on or a haircut to emulate, the time is right for 32FPS to ascend to the heights of the UK scene as they deserve to, because they’re one of the finest balls-out punk rock bands to have emerged in the last few years.
As the opening salvo of ‘This Time’, ‘Where Is Everyone?’ and ‘All Those Lost Days’ launches from the speakers it’s easy to realise that 32FPS have nailed their colours to the wall: fast, brash, kosher, crunchy punk. With a command of melody that would be admirable for a band with twice their experience, anthems like ‘Forecast Darkest Skies’ and ‘Serving Suggestions’ are given a reassuringly hefty sheen by some delicious production. The most impressive part of Hit The Ground Running is the sense of pure energy that is the watermark of each track, and they manage to keep things interesting while sticking firmly within their genre.
While they steer clear of the technical frippery of Laughing In The Face Of or Breakneck, two of the finest young punk bands in Britain right now, 32FPS have that rarest of commodities, honesty, and are all the more successful for it. Hit The Ground Running is an example of a band playing music for no other reason than the sheer exhilaration they get when the chorus kicks in – I defy anyone to listen to this from start to finish without fingerpointing at least a dozen times – and is a worthy addition to any self-respecting punk fan’s collection. If you are a fan of Ten Foot Pole or Pulley then there should be no question of not buying this album.