Heckle

We’re Not Laughing With You (Wingnut)
by Rich Romaine

Kicking off Axhandle Records’ comp last year was an unassuming band called Heckle whose garagey production worked well with the simple powerhouse punk style they boasted. Sloppy solos and distorted rantings took the band over the top, while their rhythm pounded relentlessly. On their first full-length, We’re Not Laughing With You, Heckle begin with the basics, and build on a variety of ideas over the course of the album, but never layer borrowed style upon style like so many of their contemporaries. Maintaining the philosophy that a song should exist on its own strength and not on the cleverness of the producer, Heckle create minimalistic punk rock songs without all the unnecessary trimming. The songs have hooks, there’s little doubt about that, but they aren’t littered with 30-part harmonies or endless choruses of what was a decent phrase the first time around, but becomes mind-numbingly dull after multiple repetitions. Starting with the roots of early Rancid or Gorilla Biscuits (to name-drop just a couple), Heckle takes the energy of punk, occassionally tossing in an interesting bridge or half-time transition, and goes straight for the throat. From beginning to end, they don’t waste your time trying to impress you, they just rock. Lyric sheets are included so you can shout along.