Striped Music has been on an absolute roll this year. The Italian pop-punk label is responsible for two of my Top 10 Albums of 2022: The Manges‘ Book of Hate for Good People and Screeching Weasel‘s The Awful Disclosures of Screeching Weasel. Discerning pop-punk listeners know that when Striped is putting out a new record, it’s a safe bet that it’s gonna be pretty fuckin’ good.
This split LP from two veteran bands in the Travoltas and the Huntingtons is no exception to that rule. Both sides of the Rock ‘N’ Roll Universal International Problem kick off with a brand new, original song from each band. For the Travoltas, it’s “She’s Gonna Break My Heart in Two”: a sugary power-pop song that stays true to their signature blend of Beach Boys infused pop-punk. The Huntingtons contribute a new track called “I Don’t Wanna Be Wrong” that probably wouldn’t be out of place on my favorite Ramones record Too Tough to Die.
Following these snippets of new music is a steady stream of cover songs. Each band covers two tracks by the other. The Travoltas offer their take on “Hooray for You” off 1999’s Get Lost and “The Last Time You Left” from 2001’s Songs in the Key of You. They do a great job putting their own spin on these; subbing out the guitar leads on the latter song with keyboards was an excellent choice. The Huntingtons, on the other hand, focus on further Ramones-ifying their Travoltas covers. “You Got What I Need” (from 2001’s Teenbeat) is almost unrecognizable, having been stripped down and sped up, while “Anywhere You Want To” (originally on 2002’s Endless Summer) is slightly closer to its source material with a guitar solo faithfully recreating the surfy keyboard interlude of the original track.
Each side of this split LP is rounded out by a cover of a song from the 50’s. The Travoltas provide a souped-up rendition of Johnny and the Hurricanes’ rock ‘n’ roll instrumental “Red River Rock”. They don’t take too many creative liberties with the song, but it’s an enjoyable bookend nonetheless. The Huntingtons cover the Everly Brothers’ mega-hit “All I Have to Do is Dream”. Aside from adding a little flair with some new guitar parts, this is also a pretty by-the-numbers cover, and that’s perfectly fine by me.
If you’re a fan of either of these bands, or old school pop-punk in general, you’ll likely enjoy this split (which, fun fact, is named after a Joey Ramone quote regarding his disdain for guitarists). Rock ‘N’ Roll Universal International Problem is due out on December 2nd. You can pre-order the LP here (US) and here (EU). There’s even a CD version that you can grab here!
