If you ask me, the platonic ideal of punk rock has a lot more to do with Bruce Springsteen than the Sex Pistols. The Boss’s rock and roll Working Class anthems are far more punk than anything put out by the British group that was more marketing ploy than musicians (Sid Vicious literally couldn’t play bass. He was never plugged in).
This is usually more a matter of ethos than sound. But when it comes to Midwest pop-punkers The Slow Death, Springsteen and the E Street Band bear a marked musical influence too. Casual Majesty, their fourth album, marries no-frills working-class punk rock with old school blue-collar rock and roll, complete with bendy guitar leads, Hammond organs, and singalong-worthy choruses
The songs on Casual Majesty are almost universally relatable: bandleader Jesse Thorson struggles to find his footing amid a storm of political discord, looming economic collapse, and his own crumbling mental state. In opener “Is There Anything Left” he asks, “Is there anything left that will make me feel like I felt yesterday? Is there a powder or pill that I could take that would kill all the loneliness I feel today?” In the raucous “Young Trees” he leads a chant-like singalong of “we are the oak trees waiting for the ax to fall,” which is as poignant a sentiment of class warfare as I’ve heard in a long time.
But these lyrics wouldn’t hit nearly as hard without solid instrumental performances to hang them on. And luckily, the band plays with as much conviction as the lyrics. The arrangements remind me a bit of Midwestern punk heroes like Alkaline Trio, Menzingers, and The Ataris. However, the band doesn’t try very hard to hide their love of classic rock and roll. Many songs feature a wailing lead guitar. “Not Much For Waiting” even has a ripping slide guitar part. Even the chunky rhythm guitars rely more on open chords than the power chords you might expect from other bands in the scene. Background vocals are a constant presence, lending additional power to Thorson’s passion.
In a lot of ways, it reminds me of Spanish Love Song’s Brave Faces Everyone, especially in the laser-focused reliability of the lyrics and the sophisticated arrangements that aren’t held captive by punk tropes. But at the end of the day, Casual Majesty doesn’t let its world-weariness get in the way of having a little fun. Tracks like “Now I’m Into Nothing” and “Gimme One More Chance” are positively bursting with joy, even if the lyrics might be bleak. As Emma Goldman once (allegedly) said, “If I can’t dance, I don’t want to be part of your revolution.” Luckily, Casual Majesty has plenty of both.
Casual Majesty is out now through Rad Girlfriend Records.
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