Band: The Psycho Nubs
Album Name: First Human Beings To Die On The Moon
Best Element: True to Punk – DIY Ethics.
Genre: Punk Rock
Website: www.psychonubs.com
Label: N/A
Band E-mail: thepsychonubs.com
Every once in a while, you just want to listen to something that’s stripped down, simplistic and enjoyable. In vein of traditional punk rock (A la the Ramones) you now have Richmond, Indiana’s The Psycho Nubs. The two-piece, composed of Brandon Owens and Nick Shadle, keep true to punk rock with their self-released debut First Human Beings To Die On The Moon. Both members are multi-talented and share the musical duties of Bass, Guitar, Drums, Vocals, and even some kazoo. Ten years of playing together has its advantages, as musically they are much tighter than many other punk bands. These two guys clearly know each other inside and out.
Though most songs are relatively short, there are 20 songs to enjoy, including a few stand-out, classic-sounding numbers such as “Captain Blake”, “Jail Song”, “State of Hate”, “World’s Largest Wal-Mart”, and “Gin and Smiles”.
The things which I respect most about The Psycho Nubs are their down-to-earth, do-it-yourself punk ethics and their socially motivated, anti-establishment lyrics. There is a massive disillusion in the mainstream about what ‘punk’ is nowadays. People think because you have a mohawk or studs on leather you are punk-rock. People even think that Good Charlotte is punk- and that is a travesty. Anyways I’ll stop rambling…the point is The Psycho Nubs are a true DIY band.
Formed back in ‘96 as two guys jamming in a grandmother’s kitchen, they have finally released their own, full length debut album, which overall is quite a good album. Like most, it is not without a few flaws. Despite the album being full of inspiration and emotion it seems to fall short on certain levels of their musical potential. It is likely more a personal preference, but with overly simplistic music my patience wears a bit thin. In their defense, the songs are well organized to keep a good variety of the tunes. Also in true punk fashion they have had their music in two indie films, including the spastic, catchy, “World’s Largest Wal-Mart” on theWalmart: the High Cost of Low Price soundtrack.
If you are looking for more traditional punk rock this CD should be right up your alley. Stripped down, politically/socially motivated, honest-to-anarchy punk.
-Josh Hogan
josh@orchidscurse.com