Ruiners

A little bit of Cramps, a little B-52s and some early X. This debut full-length from Detroit’s trash new wave punks contains almost an hour’s worth of thrills and chills to keep the boys and ghouls rockin’ all night long. With production help from Mick Collins and Jim Diamond of Gories and Dirt Bombs fame, this makes an effort to stand out from bands trying to sound like the Stooges, MC5 and other proto punk acts. There are hints of that style, but they’re subtle. The swooning croon of Rick Ruiner is backed-up nicely by the cupid-voiced Ruinettes. They get a bit of everything in here with guitar riffs that bounce from ’50s twang to ’70s heavy and organ accompaniment that is equally ’60s garage and ’80s new wave. And it all makes chaotic sense in a way that you have to hear to understand.