If you’ve never heard of Autonomads then let me give you a little info. They are from Machester UK and mix dub/ska/punk with scathing political lyrics to give you a unique style of anarcho punk. I was a big fan of their last release One Day All Of This Will Be Gone…Everything Now! so I was delighted to get a message from them asking me to review their upcoming 7″ All Quiet On The Western Front.
The EP consists of 4 tracks, one of which I wrote about last year when the video was released. That song is the first track and is titled “All Roads Lead To Hulme”. Hulme is an inner city area of Manchester and the song attacks the gentrification of the area. The song opens with that clean guitar that Autonomads use so well, and soon turns it up a notch when the chorus kicks in with the battle cry “Stuff your yuppie flats, we’re happy with the rats!”. The song is ridiculously catchy and I found myself playing it over and over! It is definitely the highlight of the EP.
Next up is “Babylon Rocks”, a song raising the issue of peoples misguided views on immigration and racism. The song continues on in the same style as before, crisp clean verses with a short catchy chorus with a worthwhile message. I am fan of dual vocals and they work so well in all of their songs.
“Run Like A Girl” is a great song taking a look at the way we wrongly attach characteristics to gender. A song against using terms like “man up” or referring to men as “girls” for showing emotion as if that is an insult. The message here is clear, gender has nothing to do with being tough or weak. We are all human beings that should be allowed to show emotion and feelings without society telling us it isn’t natural. Again the dual vocals work well in putting across each side of the problem and I felt the chorus took it up a notch on this
The final track “Dog” takes aim at the working class being exploited to line others pockets. It starts off a bit more melodic than the others both musically and in the vocals which makes for a nice ending to the record. Again the lyrics are brilliant and are exactly what you want from good anarcho punk.
Overall it is another solid release from a great band that have much deserved respect in the UK d.i.y scene. All Quiet On The Western Front is set to be released tomorrow on Ruin Nation Records. If you’re a fan of bands like Inner Terrestrials then do yourself a favour and get a copy here.
4/5
You can listen to the opening track “All Roads Lead To Hulme” below.