Wrongwayround Punk Rock

The Lawrence Arms - Buttsweat and Tears (Fat Wreck 2009) - Released October 26th

It’s been three years since The Lawrence Arms last fave us some fresh material and after 10 years as a band rumours/fears began to emerge that “Oh! Calcutta!” may well be the bands last release. Thankfully we we’re wrong. Recorded in three says, limited to vinyl and digital download the EP boasts artwork and title that the band original planned for an their debut 7”.
Buttsweat and Tears is probably the release of the year for me. As record it flows perfectly, every song as good as the last, a quality rarely seen in an EP. I had fears that this would sound very similar to The Falcon, and wouldn’t have that certain something that previously Lawrence Arms releases do. Again, I was wrong.

The EP kicks off with “Spin Shining Shit”, a song that more or less defines the band, gruff fast paced punk rock with a clean break down towards the end. Next up is “The Slowest Drink In The Saddest Bar On The Snowiest Day In The Greatest City”, a song sung solely by Chris which came as a nice surprise as the alternating songs formula was abandoned on their last CD for duel vocals throughout. As all of Chris’ songs this track walks you through a story and is probably the best song on the record.
Side two kicks off with “Them Angels Been Talkin’” which is a wonderful example of how both the singers voices work perfectly together awesomely wrote verses strung together with a fists-in-the-air chorus leaves me thinking that this record couldn’t get any better. The vinyl ends with my favourite track. “The Redness in The West” shows us a new style of song writing that the Lawrence Arms hadn’t really approached before. The song starts off as a folky number with a surprise bar of distortion, and ends as a beautiful slice of Punk Rock.

The digital release of Buttsweat and Tears offers a bonus track that plays in-between tracks 3 & 4. “Demons” sounds more or less how I expect the entire EP to sound, like The Falcon, same vocals and guitar style we’re used to but with added ska. Lyrically this EP is perfect, every word flows and every phrase seems crucial. They don’t use words because they rhyme. All in all a very impressive release from what I consider to be one of the most original and exciting punk rock bands around, but what the fuck do I know?

Review by Paul Edwards