THE RADIO BUZZKILLS
Get Lost!
(Outloud! Records)
Review by Mike O’Cull, independent music journalist. www.mikeocull.com
Does your world need another pop/punk band in it? Why yes, yes it does and The Radio Buzzkills is it. Hailing from St. Louis, Missouri, The Radio Buzzkills crank out loud, fast, power chord tunes packed with extra-strong hooks and an engaging sense of humor. The band’s new record is Get Lost! and it hit the streets in March of 2019 on Outloud! Records. The Radio Buzzkills’ sound lives somewhere between the Ramones and Screeching Weasel with traces of classic power pop and 50s and 60s rock and roll seeping in through the foundation.
Get Lost! is an amazingly entertaining blast of music that will inspire good times, bad decisions, and furious dancing. It’s the kind of wiseacre/teenager-in-love stuff that has launched a thousand house parties and will immediately grab your attention and lift your mood. The opener, “Tattletale,” is a thunderous radio track with multiple hooks, sweet backup vocals, and snotty lyrics about “the queen of the school.” Frontman Zac Buzzkill’s roughed-up singing is real and believable and you can tell at once that this bunch kills on stage.
“The Vampire Of Sacramento” downshifts into a mid-tempo torch song of the undead variety. He just wants to drink her blood and go steady. Is that so wrong? Zac’s best line is “I’m alone in my own world / When you’re dead, you’ll be my girl” but his mix of sarcasm and bloodthirsty teen hormones will reel you in straight away. The instrumental number “Shark Surfer” is a nicely-done bit of timeless American garage rock that hits hard and proves that the band can really play underneath all the humor.
The Star Wars-themed “She Died On That Deathstar” rocks hard, takes the party into space, and laments the fact that “the rebels took my baby away.” Other highlights on Get Lost! include “Cannibal Girlfriend,” “She Hails Satan,” and “The Distance Between Us.” The Radio Buzzkills have a great thing going with this new record and it will hopefully bring the band to a much larger audience. Get Lost! is perfect summertime rock and roll and you should buy it today.
LISTEN ON BANDCAMP: https://theradiobuzzkills.bandcamp.com/album/get-lost
LISTEN ON SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6C58qMQdCLPZresaHe1npX