So So Glos

According to their bio (which they wrote themselves), the So So Glos invented the term that now serves as their moniker to refer to individuals one may be inclined to describe as "too cool," "apathetic" or "self-obsessed." The NYC punk outfit decided to re-appropriate their slang term for jaded hipsters in order to "combat this type of behaviour." Unsurprisingly, on Blowout, So So Glos sound like anything but apathetic, dispirited city kids. The band combine the sing-along, gang vocals and wonderful sloppiness of drunken pub rock with a more inspired ambition to write big rock'n'roll anthems. On raging opener "Son of an American," So So Glos sound like the bastard child of tour-mates Titus Andronicus, in the best possible way. Like Titus Andronicus, So So Glos have embraced a blue collar, working class American aesthetic. This love for the underdog is explored explicitly on "Everything Revival," as singer Alex Levine bellows upliftingly about a 25-year-old American assembly line worker over a Springsteen-esque xylophone hook. The album's title track is an appropriately placed filler tune, a jovial instrumental interrupted incrementally by excited shouts of "Blowout!" This album is a celebration of the little guy and all things American, such as "malt liquor" and "malt ice cream." Punk rock can still be fun and inspiring in a world of elitist, so so glos assholes.