Rude and Obnoxious, the debut EP from Sean and The Dead, is here. Sean Vertigo rips through five punk rock tunes with the ferocity and heart of someone who has nothing but love and respect for the genre.
Drinking anthem “Five Point Nine” cracks open a can of beer as the guitars dive into a track about the night of drinking and bar hopping with friends and one request: “Save The Last Call For Me!” Second track “Dead Undead” plays fast and short, channeling the hardcore punk of the Suicidal Tendencies. Smack dab in the middle of Rude and Obnoxious is a cover of Tom Petty’s “Walls.” To a casual fan, this song lands closer to deep cut rather than the single it intended to be, but including this song only shows the range of Sean Vertigo’s influences on the album which is definitely an asset. Moving on to “Regenerate,” Vertigo sings about recharging your batteries and getting some alone time without getting caught up in life’s daily bullshit. Closing song “Life is Strange” kind of lists some of the weird things that have happened and the people who were involved—the song’s lyrics reminded me of Jim Carroll’s “People Who Died,” but way, way less new wavey.
Rude and Obnoxious is a good time, but doesn’t feel like an album for the kids, and that’s okay. The lyrics are blunt, and the music accompanying the songs makes them durable. The fans and bands mostly grow with the genre, but still need an outlet. Dripping with influence from your favorite bands, Sean and the Dead melds a lot of the hardcore and skate punk we all loved growing up. Each track shows a different direction Sean and the Dead could go in and either one would be great. The only downside is that there are only five songs at this time. Hopefully there’s more on the way. Check out Rude and Obnoxious here on Cleopatra Records.