Slowcoaches – Nothing Gives

Four years after their first EP surfaced on micro-indie Tye Die Tapes, Slowcoaches finally turn in their debut album – and it’s worth the wait. Release schedules aside, that name’s surely tongue in cheek – recorded over a mere two days, these songs rip along at a fair ol’ pace, recalling the gnarly riffing of Black Flag’s Nervous Breakdown and the hooks of your 90s pop-grunge faves. Classic thrills, in other words, although this is no mere throwback.

As with their noblest punk forebears, the London trio are savvy enough to engage with their environment while sounding emboldened enough to feel empowering. Thusly, Norms and Values rails against the complacency of a DIY scene that thinks it’s politically woke by default, while elsewhere the singalong rush (see angular strikeouts like 54 and We’re So Heavy) makes you willing to buy anything they’re selling. This is a solid and often wonderful debut.

Listen to: Norms and Values, Ex Head