These Chino legends have spent a decade as the kings of the backyard mosh pit, but ‘High Speed‘ sounds like they finally traded in the dented van for something with a turbo engine and working AC. It’s loud, it’s fast, and it’s got enough hooks to catch a week’s worth of dinner at the Santa Monica Pier. They’ve managed to bottle that chaotic skate-punk energy and give it a shiny, new-wave wax job that makes you want to stage-dive off your own living room sofa.
Three tracks absolutely rip the roof off this thing. First, “CHAIN” kicks the door down with a melody so infectious you might need a prescription to get it out of your head, featuring the catchy refrain, “I’ve been locked in a chain, And it’s driving me insane.“ Then there’s “GET BIT,” which feels like a high-voltage sprint through a crowded party, messy, exhilarating, and punctuated by the warning, “Watch your step, don’t get bit, You’re falling for the same old trick.“ Finally, “RACER #23” lives up to the album’s title, delivered with a pedal-to-the-metal urgency as they shout, “Everything I do is for the rush, I’m never gonna get enough!”
Overall, ‘High Speed‘ captures The High Curbs in their element, with frontman Ed Moreno sounding like he’s singing with a grin you can hear through the speakers, and the production is crisp enough to satisfy the audiophiles without scaring off the punks who still have dirt under their fingernails. It’s a love letter to SoCal rock ‘n’ roll that proves you can grow up without ever actually growing “old.” Seriously, just go buy this record; if you pass on a kick ass album this good, you’re essentially advertising to the world that you’re a moron. Don’t be a moron. You can do this.
Links of interest:
https://www.instagram.com/thehighcurbs/
https://thehighcurbs.bandcamp.com/album/high-speed