Antifreeze

Four Letter Words (Kung Fu)
by Scott Hefflon

Geez, they’re making ’em young these days! No one denies Antifreeze are following in the footsteps of The Ataris (they were found by singer Kris Roe, recommended to Kung Fu by Kris Roe, produced by Kris Roe – his and the band’s debut), but those aren’t such bad shoes to fill, seeing as The Ataris are “going to the show” (means going to the majors; it’s also a baseball term from Bull Durham which was on the other night. Late.). Fun facts for the trading cards: Antifreeze are from Appleton, WI. They started in early ’94 and played their first show at a school dance that same year.

They utilize two singers – Jon and Tim: One sounds really young like Saves the Day or Anti-Flag, and the other sounds a little thicker, like a cross between The Ataris and MxPx. The stuff’s really, really catchy, and only in some of the lame transitions and bridges does it sound like a debut effort by a very fresh-faced band. 14 songs totaling just under 50 minutes, opening with “Is He Your Boyfriend?” and ending with “You Looked Away,” hitting titles like “One and On,” “Ordinary,” “Our Band,” and “Cyber Sweetie” along the way. An added bonus is that they not only use the aspects of emo and punkpop that are kinda nice (like their idols, The Ataris), they’ve incorporated a bit of Weezer and Bracket without making it obvious.
(PO Box 38009 Hollywood, CA 90038)