Fake Names - Fake Names
Punk all-stars kick back on an excellent record...
Is ‘punk supergroup’ a contradiction in terms? How you answer that question surely depends on your interpretation of scene politics, but *Fake Names *might give you some cause for consideration.
Initially formed in 2016 around the songwriting duo of guitarists Brian Baker (Minor Threat, Dag Nasty, Bad Religion) and Michael Hampton (The Faith, Embrace), Fake Names soon enlisted the services of Girls Against Boys bassist Johnny Temple and Holy Fuck drummer Matt Schulz. Oh… and then there’s the small matter of Refused’s Dennis Lyxzén on vocals. Right. No big deal.
Bearing in mind the CVs of most present, you might think you’ve already got an idea of how this’ll sound - and sure enough, advance track ‘Brick’ contains echoes of Dag Nasty and other less celebrated Revolution Summer acts in its strident chorus.
Beyond that, however, there’s much more on display. This is a far more melodious effort than the sum of Fake Names’ parts would suggest, with new wave synths decorating the wiry riffs of ‘Heavy Feather’ and a garagey punch to ‘Being Them’s neat power chords (albeit a garage that’s recently come in for a nice lick of paint). ‘First Everlasting’, meanwhile, slathers its mightily addictive hook with ‘woah-ohs’ that call to mind the boozily joyous refrains of The Hold Steady. Powerpop, with emphasis on the power.
As if to remind us that this is still a punk record, Lyxzén’s lyrics flit between darkness and defiance in the manner of all your favourite hardcore heroes, although he cannily manages to stay on the right side of juvenilia. Whether lamenting that ‘we all become commodities’ or raging against a ‘culture of mediocrity’, he sounds focussed and - crucially - like he’s having fun. “Show me wonder, show me failure, show me redemption,” he howls excitedly, and it’s hard not to get caught up in the rush.
This band’s debut LP doesn’t add anything new to the rock’n’roll canon, but it doesn’t set its stall out as reinventing the wheel either; it’s simply a solid collection of great songs performed excellently by consummate pros.
Hey, that does sound like a supergroup, doesn’t it?
*8/10*
Words: *Will Fitzpatrick *
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