1-800 Mikey - S/T LP
1-800 Mikey - S/T LP (Erste Theke Tontraeger/Germany)
Erin O Says:
Listening Notes: Relentlessly, aggressively fun lo-fi garage punk/power pop that doesn't let up the pace. All but one of the thirteen playful ditties are under two minutes long, with blown-out vocals sung almost breathlessly, running into and bouncing off of the guitar- and synth-driven music. Sydney, Australia's 1-800 Mikey is indebted to bands like Erik Nervous, R.M.F.C., and Ramones, and it's hard to tell if the sweetness here is real or tongue-in-cheek. There's a song for Snoopy: "Snoopy the dog, everyone likes you / Snoopy the dog, you are so cute," with a chorus of "Oh Snoopy, oh Snoopy" sung over and over and over. There are some clever, not overwrought bits, too — if only all on-hold waiting music sounded like the happy honeybee hum of "Hotline."
Mood: Ripped jeans and Peanuts sheets, jumping on the bed while singing into an invisible mic.
They Say:
Garage lo-fi bedroom punk homework is done. Another banger from Down Under! Very Jay, is there something better? Catchy af - love it. This whole album is super charming, lovely.
ETT has never been shy about showing the love for well done pop-garage sounds. Shit, it's impossible not to, considering just how nice 1-800-Mikey is and how sweet he sounds.
With a crisp power pop punk sound and riffs as sharp and concise as the legend Jay, 1-800-Mikey is the perfect answer to anyone looking for songs with the astute hooks of memphis finest, perfect songwriting and the punk formula of 2022.
All of these songs are filled with distorted voices, noisy synthesizer sounds, robotic beats and modern monotony. Brilliant. The songs are top notch and the recording is raw in all the right ways. A furiously raucous blast of pure go-for-it hard-crunching dynamic rock'n'roll powerpop garage, done with a stirring sense of sheer fun and aggressive vitality that's impossible to either resist or dislike.
It's all kills and thrills, fired by a furious pace and hooks galore. Oh, I wanna go to a house party!