The Sleeveens
National Anthem
*** out of *****
The second full length release from The Sleeveens is a revved up slice of garage rock meets poppy punk as National Anthem for Goner Records slaps with angsty tension, singalong fun and hip shaking fuzz.
The group is split between Nashville, TN and Dublin, Ireland and consists of Stefan Murphy - Vocals & Guitar James Mechan - Bass Ryan Sweeney - Drums Eli Steele - Guitar. The Sleeveens don't hide their influences as they rock out with upbeat energy, shaking and droning with a retro charm.
The opening trio of tunes on the album, the 'oh-oh-oh' laced "If I Was A Casual", the fun/upbeat "I Was Born on a Saturday Night" and banging drums of "Surprises" bring to mind classic poppy punk of the Buzzcocks. That classic sound rings out with confidence as the band delivers familiar and winning tunes.
Less successful is the banging/droning "Town of Horseheads", the longest track here tries to go for an artsy/post-punk vibe and falls short, while the small town boredom of "High Babies, Low Babies" bemoans the lack of drugs sarcastically and misses the mark. Better is the band's cover of The Walkmen's "The Rat" which cuts down the original to the core of the tune and as the cover winds up with a punchier feel.
"My Pretend Boyfriend" has touches of The Exploding Hearts in the sad punk love song while "Ernest and Julio" uses a bit of glam for the swaggering party song. There is no fun to be found on the album's closing title track as the politics of the day get an airing around an almost Social Distortion sounding hard rock groove.
Catchy, classic influenced punk and more modern day artsy/political outings make up National Anthem from The Sleeveens.
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