REVIEW – Guttermouth – New Car Smell EP

Since 1998, Guttermouth have been thrashing out their brand of catchy punk rock complete with the kind of lyrics that aim to offend the easily offended and maybe even a few who aren’t as well. After a ten year hiatus of releasing music , the band returned earlier this year with a new EP entitled Got It Made and now return again with their new EP New Car Smell.

Musically and lyrically, the band are still on the same page as they were earlier in the year and since the bands formation in 1988 before that too, but if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it and the bands snotty and catchy style of punk rock is demonstrated her to maximum effect straight from the off as they crash through opening track Spud Like Torso and beyond. The band are still very much influenced by the likes of classic Southern California punk bands like The Germs, The Vandals and Fear and proudly display those influences on their sleeves and shout about them loudly.

Songs on New Car Smell such as Soundtrack To The End Of The World, the EPs title track and Perma Walkabout are prime Guttermouth and sound like the band have been listening to classic RKL records on repeat with a side order of Dead Kennedys too in the vocals stylings (especially on the title track where vocalist Mark Adkins sounds just as unhinged as a prime Jello Biafra crossed with RKLs sadly missed Jason Sears) while songs like Mail Order Bride and The Human Mulligan demonstrate the bands crude humour as they always have and fans of the band wouldn’t have it any other way.

With New Car Smell,  Guttermouth are hardly breaking any sort of new ground with their music but you wouldn’t want them to either and the EP is the sort of catchy, humorous and sarcastic without being too sneering punk rock that Guttermouth have always done so well and is a fine addition to their musical catalogue.