UK’s A.W.M. Brings that 80’s hardcore punk sound like they live it!

Like many reviews, I start by listening to the tracks (duh), before I read the bio, etc., and in this case I wasn’t even paying attention to the title, so when I heard a blistering rendition of “Lights Out” by the Angry Samoans, I was immediately taken back to the early 1990’s and one of my first punk comps Faster Louder Hardcore Vol. 1 and 2, where I first heard the Angry Samoans. Being taken back to that moment when I first played that tape was great, and it was made even better because their version rips! A purest might complain that they changed the funky drum pattern during a lot of the song to being on double bass, but I’m all for people making a cover their own and that they did.

The next song “Care” is a song that I’d hear played by the UK Subs or The Business with a cool woooo in the backing vocals and a “yeah yeah” chant that I could see a crowd catching onto fast. Before the song ends, their guitarist gives us a blazing guitar solo that would make any metalhead proud.

“System of Oppression” is that classic fuck you authority song. But it’s more than just don’t tell me what to do, it has the context of the multicultural make up of the band and their own lived experiences and is as much a rejection of the normative mainstream cultural expectations they live in oppressing them as much as it is direct authority.

“Prosperity” has a cool lead guitar lead throughout and the verse has a cool vocal flow—I know the drummer also sings, so I’m curious to hear their delivery when they are playing live, if it’s as good as it is recorded, it will be sick. There’s a cool hook with prosperity being sung melodically while its being chanted in a staccato pattern. Have a problem with the 1% and their greedy hoarding of most of the world’s wealth? This song is for you.

“Orchestrated” goes after those dickasses that think they can say shit online and then do the what me? in person as if they were the victim and meant no harm driving home the point that what you say or do is “gonna come back on you”

“Creatures with the Atom Brains” is about conspiracy theorist like Qanon and the shit they believe and foster. It has a cool breakdown where most everything but the bass drops out at first while it plays a bass line that reminds me of something off of Megadeath’s Peace Sells But Who’s Buying album. Then comes in with a rad spoken word part and then back into the song and into a rad guitar solo. The song then comes to an interesting plodding end almost like they’ve given up on trying to deal with these people and are just walking away in exhaustion.

“Virtues are a Pose” is probably one of the catchier songs. Lyrically its an indictment of punks and skins that claim to be nonracists but their actions reveal the truth of their internal bias.

“What did you Learn in School Today” is a great cover of a Pete Seeger song. I used to play that song at the start of every school year when I was a teacher as part of my promising to find ways to engage the students in real and authentic learning based on their own lives outside of school that are usually not reflected in classes. I’ve got a soft spot for this song, so fuck yeah.

“Sleep Now” is another song about Qanon types. It’s fascinating to me how much a U.S. conspiracy group is influencing a punk band in the UK with Welsh and Zambian roots. Once again they are doing a great job of taking that 80’s UK punk style in a new and unique.

“Culture Endorsed Violence” is a song about intentionally hurting people at shows. The vocals are really rad on this one. I dig the topic, as it’s one that two bands I’ve been in have address, and I recently went to a Powerviolence show where the kung fu fighting was so excessive that there was no place to stand in the small venue without having to dodge kicks to the face.

On a final note, that should have nothing to do with if you dig this or not, but I figure it’s interesting to mention: The guitarist and drummer are both 16, and the bassist is the dad of the drummer and former bass player of the rad band Four Letter Word.

Check out their songs on Spotify or on my punk playlist full of bangers

Check out their socials: YouTube and Instagram

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