Grade 2 are the best kind of young punk heroes. Five albums into their quest from the Isle of Wight to the glittering heights of Campbell, California, the trio have somehow managed to sound more like Rancid than Rancid ever did. It’s more than that though; the trio give us a window into the powerhouse Tim and Lars could have been had they stayed clear of poetry and ska. Instead, six years into their journey to become the Isle’s finest export since layered sand, they’ve hit a winning vein of relatable street punk without the aggression and bad reputation that haunts the more orthodox bands in the skinhead-adjacent sphere. They’re so aware of their lineage, yet with ‘Talk About It’, they’re stretching themselves into the update that the old school punk scene needs.
For the first time, it feels like we can discuss the Grade 2 sound as a product of their influences rather than just as a mashup of all their favourite things. Sure, ‘Cut Throat’ really, really sounds like Rancid, but...
0 Comments