According to the biog ‘We’re In It for the Money’ is the fourth E.P. to be released by Norfolk quartet, Blag. A quick root around suggests that this is the first one to make it through to Punktastic ears though. Of course you can read a dozen different things into that but ultimately it’s quite surprising because this release sees the band make a fairly decent stab at slightly more aggressive ska-punk.
File this one alongside the likes of Kickback UK and The Junk (both recently reviewed here on PT); it’s skacore but with a little more weight behind it. Opening track, âWe’re Starving, They’re Laughingâ is in essence a straight-up punk-rock song driven by bludgeoning guitars. The following âHaving a Go At Grownupsâ introduces the ska element, all jaunty upstrokes, before âThought Trainâ bundles it all together into something akin to Grown At Home circa three years ago.
âTrippin’ On the Fenceâ provides a slight departure, a chilled out number that’s a little more folky (think Resolution 242). The track would actually make for a decent closer, more so than âJus’ Kotchinâ, the track that holds down that particular position, which seems a little short, a little abrupt. Certainly the big bass sound and the lyric-spitting settles enough to warrant an extra 90 seconds or so, and a bump up the tracklist too.
‘We’re In It for the Money’ isn’t the sort of record that’s likely to turn that many heads or cause you to skip a breath. It is however a decent enough offering that makes for an enjoyable 15 minutes. Certainly the relatively heavier aspect (this isn’t doom-metal heavy, it just has a bit more meat to it that that near-dead brand of silly ska) propels the record upwards. Hopefully the band’s next E.P. will make it to these ears again.
Alex