If you like slightly quirky, exciteable music by a band that clearly forgot to take their Ritalin, The Aquabats are for you. I’d be gobsmacked if people are left scratching their heads when the band’s name is uttered, for these guys have become something of a cult in the last few years, even though they’ve never made it over here (that’s gonna change..) and have never had a big mainstream release. I mean they have a fan club with conventions where they all dress up as bats and stuff. If that’s not strange enough for you, well…
‘Charge!!’ is the band’s first for Nitro and it’s another album the fans will absolutely adore. Basically, if you’re 15 and your hormones are all over the place, or you’re a bif soft in the head and like acting a bit daft, this is the soundtrack to your summer. With OTT vocals, odd quirky electronica bits and more melodies than a Girls Aloud song, it’s an instant sugar rush that will have you singing along for hours and hours and hours. ‘Charge!!’ sees the band drop the ska that littered their older material, but the sound doesn’t suffer for it. Basically, there’s little difference to the old sound – minus the ska, obviously – as the band continue to sing about geeks, nerds and girls, throwing in the obligatory ‘awesome’ every now and then. They’ve added a ‘!’ to the end of every song for Christ’s sake!
There are lots of good songs and not many duffers – ‘Stuck In A Movie!’ has some pretty neat synth sounds over the back of several layers of vocal harmonies, while ‘Look At Me, I’m A Winner!’ is so upbeat it’s almost impossible not to smile – even if you’re clinically depressed and haven’t smiled in years. Thunder claps kick off ‘Tiger Rider vs The Time Sprinkler!’, while ‘Meltdown!’ is another hit-in-waiting. ‘Nerd Alert!’ even sounds like an old Nintendo game.
This is an incredibly upbeat, fun record that is destined to be a big summer smash. It won’t be to everyone’s tastes, but it’s a breath of fresh air and will give you a very quick boost in the happy stakes. The Aquabats don’t seem to disappoint and ‘Charge!’ continues the mantle. This is likely to take them to the next level and with a UK tour rumoured to be in the works, I think it’s safe to say their profile here could easily rise to that of the likes of Reel Big Fish in no time…
www.theaquabats.com
Nitro
Paul