Redd Kross
Redd Kross (In the Red Records)
release date: 6/28/24
by Scott Deckman
Redd Kross has been around forever, seemingly since the dinosaurs — with better hair and threads — specifically, beginning as teenage hardcore kids on the L.A. punk scene opening for the likes of Black Flag, whom they befriended as youngins. The band’s eponymous release, its eighth full-length (or ninth, if you count the covers record), is a daunting 18 songs and nearly an hour long, so with today’s TikTok attention span, making your way through it, let alone more than once, will take effort, but some punters will. And we salute you. Cat vids and Hailey Welch will still be there when you return to Instagram.
Single and opener “Candy Coloured Catastrophe” shows the band’s appreciation for Brit glam, among the McDonalds’ first loves, both in spelling and hooks. Check out the underlying fuzz juxtaposing the pop. “Stunt Queen” mony monys, while single “I’ll Take Your Word for It” is certainly ’60s/’70s influenced. “Too Good to Be True” is a guitar rocker with melody and a strong chorus, singer Jeff McDonald telling us everyone is searching for the sweet spot in life, mirroring the band’s AllMusic bio, which states “Redd Kross exist at the sweet spot where punk, metal, and bubblegum meet,” which more or less equals power pop.
True to that description, guitars abound on this self-titled release, and some of it does cross over into, if not metal, than at least hard rock territory, but the licks are so buttressed with sugar you may not notice. These guys play for the song. That’s where it’s at. According to the press release, inspiration for the record included The Beatles: Get Back documentary, the vagaries of fame, vanity, and cults.
“Emanuelle Insane” uses dance beats, sitar sounds, and sports a guitar freakout about three-quarters of the way through, and also comes close to ripping off Def Leppard’s “Animal” chorus. Some songs give you the Guided by Voices feels. Or is it vice versa? Though that could be down to Steven McDonald’s voice. “Good Times Propaganda Band” was the first number to pique me, and it reminds you of songs you can’t place. This type of purloining is an art itself; just a little, not a lot. Jeff McDonald’s unique tenor has aged incredibly well. Closer and single “Born Innocent,” the title of the band’s first album, is a paean to the McDonald origin story. This is starting to sound more like a play than a record. Check it out.
