Dean Malenkos

A self-described "prog-country/western-vaudeville punk outfit,” Halifax’s Dean Malenkos are flat out one of the strangest and most enjoyable punk groups Canada has seen since the Dayglo Abortions. But instead of a staunch gross-out schtick, the follow-up to their debut Arse Capades continues in the Malenkos’ great quest for the perfect balance of boisterous teenage humour and serious instrumental/songwriting dexterity. Check out how opener "Scared of Cancer” smacks of Local Rabbits alt-pop before mentioning Count Chocula and breaking off into a climatic freak-out. From there, it schizophrenically tears through tongue-in-cheek three-chorders and more than enough left-field additions like the oddly Mike Patton-esque "Coming Soon” and scorching closer "Floor Punch My Heart,” to make up for a few just-over-a-minute clunkers along the way. Sluts is, at its very worse, interesting, and, as a complete record, is likely everything that last shitty punk record you bought wasn’t.