In a world that as ever seems to resemble an episode of Black Mirror, and governments that seem to give less of a fuck than they usually do, it seems an appropriate time to welcome some new punk music to the scene to provide some sense of hope.
This new LP from the Homeless Gospel Choir titled ‘This Is Your Landfill’ is 33 minutes of a fantastic new punk, with all the bells and whistles attached. Derek Zanetti, protest singer, author and artist, who is the Homeless Gospel Choir himself lead you through eleven tracks with hidden depths.
The opener ‘Global Warming’, is a song full of fuzzy Saturated chords and witty lyrics such as “Donald Trump thinks that global warming is made up by the Chinese”. This is followed by ‘Don’t Compare’ a track that lulls you into a false sense of security beforehand with an acoustic opening before launching into an avalanche of squealing guitars and pounding drums which hits you like a freight train. The lyrics feel anthemic here also, especially when Zanetti cries, “I’m fed up, I’m fed up, I’m fed up”, which feels like something from early era Green Day.
Other tracks such as ‘Art Punk’, which is all about the struggle to create but without losing yourself along with others such as ‘Figure It Out’, a track that bursts into life at points like an electric shock. The rest of the album runs along at a good pace, and you’ll never be bored. Although, some songs such as ‘Blind Faith’ do feel like a misfire, with its stilted lyrics and supposedly anti-religious message. ‘Lest We Forget’ also feels like a dud, with lyrics that just try to say something about commercialism but miss the mark somewhat.
Apart from that, the album ends on a high with ‘Punk as Fuck’ and builds to an eclectic finale as the album brings all its previous themes together along with having a bit of a nudge, nudge, wink, wink element to the lyrics.
This album is an effective piece of punk, so go on, let the Homeless Gospel Choir in and pleasantly surprise you.
Words: Brett Herlingshaw
