{"id":8429,"date":"2015-08-24T12:33:55","date_gmt":"2015-08-24T12:33:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/album-review-lithuania-hardcore-friends\/"},"modified":"2018-03-21T22:16:10","modified_gmt":"2018-03-21T22:16:10","slug":"album-review-lithuania-hardcore-friends","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/album-review-lithuania-hardcore-friends\/","title":{"rendered":"Album Review: Lithuania – Hardcore Friends"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"image\"There\u2019s loads \u2013 and when I say loads, I genuinely mean you cannot go a single day without another band playing dirty, grunge-influenced punk rock jumping out at you. It could get tiresome \u2013 indeed, we\u2019re reaching the plateau on just how much I can take of this sound. <\/figure>\n<\/p>\n

But just when you think you\u2019re fed up to the back teeth with it all, a band like Lithuania<\/b> comes along and reminds you just how exciting it can be when it\u2019s done right. <\/p>\n

Hailing from Philadelphia, Lithuania<\/b> (AKA Eric Slick and Dominic Angelella) have been knocking around for 10 years. That \u2018Hardcore Friends\u2019<\/i> is their debut full-length is quite remarkable, yet while it may have taken them a decade to get it done, they don\u2019t hang around once they get started. Opener \u2018God in Two Persons\u2019<\/i> is an unpretentious, joyous punk blast \u2013 two minutes of buzzing guitars, rolling drums and Green Day style rat-a-tat lyrics. Throw in a punchy chorus and you\u2019ve got a fine opening song which gets you right on side from the get-go. <\/p>\n

\n<\/figure>\n

If that\u2019s a good start then the neurotic \u20182009\u2019<\/i> is even better. In fact, I\u2019d go as far as saying it\u2019s one of the best punk songs you\u2019ll hear all year, blessed with a chorus that should be banned in public places due to its infectiousness. It\u2019s another blink-and-you\u2019ll-miss-it moment, but it clearly buys Lithuania<\/b> enough goodwill that you can ignore the generic and pedestrian dirgy grunge of \u2018Pieces\u2019<\/i>. <\/p>\n

Indeed, it\u2019s in this early mid-section when things go all a bit pear-shaped. \u2018I Wanna Drink Poison\u2019<\/i> plods along with little intensity and, although it\u2019s a welcome change of pace from the frazzled, frantic opening it\u2019s very much a slow-burner rather than a raging bonfire. \u2018Coronation Day\u2019<\/i> is another sidestep from the brilliant openers too. Acoustic-heavy, it builds to a swirling maelstrom of noise and effects. It\u2019s enjoyable, but feels somewhat out of place against the more direct, raging numbers. <\/p>\n

Talking of which, \u2018Deaf Gene\u2019<\/i> is a rather fabulous return to form for Lithuania<\/b> after the little lull. It\u2019s another ripper blessed with a chorus pulled straight from the top drawer that is just begging you to punch the air and sing along.<\/p>\n

In fact, for the second half of the album, there\u2019s little to no dip in quality, with each song following what Lithuania<\/b> clearly do best \u2013 that is write pithy, punchy punk songs with big chorus and a veneer of grungy guitars. There\u2019s a couple of deviations \u2013 \u2018Question\u2019<\/i>, for some reason, reminds me of the Stone Roses in the verse, while the title track displays more indie influences as well as a guest vocals from the instantly recognisable Frances Quinlan (Hope Along). However, compared to the, previous dalliances at the edges of their sound, the inclusion of some monstrous choruses means \u2018Hardcore Friends\u2019<\/i> doesn\u2019t end on a downer. <\/p>\n

The result is that \u2018Hardcore Friends\u2019<\/i> is something of a riot. It\u2019s a stylistic mishmash, built around a bedrock of punk and grunge, but it\u2019s also undeniably contagious and hugely entertaining. It\u2019s a shame about the meandering mid-section, but Lithuania<\/b> have delivered an immensely strong debut. Indeed, if a Beach Slang tour wasn\u2019t enough, having these guys in tow makes me jealous of our American cousins\u2026<\/p>\n

4.5\/5<\/p>\n

‘Hardcore Friends’<\/i> by Lithuania<\/b> is out now on Lame-O Records<\/b>.<\/p>\n

Lithuania<\/b> links: Facebook<\/a>|Twitter<\/a>|Bandcamp<\/a><\/p>\n

Words by Rob Mair (@BobNightMair<\/a>)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

There\u2019s loads \u2013 and when I say loads, I genuinely mean you cannot go a single day without another band playing dirty, grunge-influenced punk rock jumping out at you. It could get tiresome \u2013 indeed, we\u2019re reaching the plateau on just how much I can take of this sound. But just when you think you\u2019re […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":14781,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[4866,169,4865,15022],"class_list":["post-8429","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-album-reviews","tag-hardcore-friends","tag-lame-o-records","tag-lithuania","tag-rob-mair"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nAlbum Review: Lithuania - Hardcore Friends - Already Heard Staging<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"There\u2019s loads \u2013 and when I say loads, I genuinely mean you cannot go a single day without another band playing dirty, grunge-influenced punk rock jumping\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Album Review: Lithuania - 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