10/10
Review by: T. Paine
In my mind, there are probably only a handful of bands better than The Lawrence Arms. They write with urgency about booze, and getting drunk, and being wasted. They are Chicago’s leading export of drunken earnesty, capturing the failures of life and making every shortcoming a life-affirming moment. Lyrically, they come off sounding like a more pop-culture obsessed Jawbreaker. In 2006, they released “Oh! Calcutta!” and truly captured what it felt like to be alive. Since then, they have meddled in side-projects (Sundowner, the Falcon, etc…) and most likely spent a lot of time hitting the bottle.
The greatest parts of “Oh! Calcutta!” are present on their new EP, “Buttsweat and Tears”. Brendan’s raspy shout and Chris’ earnest, more polished voice duet over the songs on this album, and they mix perfectly. Trust me when I say this EP is something everybody should have, from ironic hipsters to alcoholic punk rockers, to straight edge skinheads to hippies. Everybody knows what it’s like to be the protagonist in a Lawrence Arms song. The awkward, uncomfortable person alone in a crowd with humor and charm in spades without the guts to say anything to anybody.
For non fans that want an idea what these songs sound like, imagine a faster Jawbreaker with two singers. Despite their Midwest roots, they have overwhelming West Coast tendencies in terms of the actual music. They sound like most of their contemporaries on Fat Wreck Chords, which really isn’t a bad thing. “Spit Shining Shit” is a fist pumping anthem about apathy and (surprise!) drinking. “The Slowest Drink at the Saddest Bar on the Snowiest Day in the Greatest City” is an ode to the city of Chicago that they love, and the digital exclusive song “Demons” is a pretty hilarious song about getting too drunk at a friend’s wedding (something I can definitely relate to).
I realize now I have written over three hundred words about a 14-minute EP, so I’ll wrap it up with this: you need this EP. It’s the best non-LP release of the year, and the replay factor is through the roof. Sorry for the overblown high score, but there isn’t a flawed moment here.
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