Smartbomb - Diamond Heist

Artist: Smartbomb

Album: Diamond Heist

Label: Think Fast! Records

In today's punk soundscape everyone seems to play some variant of the age old genre. Pop-punk, skate-punk, street-punk, cabaret-punk, horror-punk... and the list goes on. Few bands avoid the hyphen, opting for sounds generally described as modern "updates" to the genre. And while inter-genre convergence celebrates various musical styles and influences, bands buying into these trend tends to under-appreciate the power of straight-up "punk." Evidently Worcester, Massachusetts' Smartbomb recognized this reality and has dutifully provided us with an instant classic to fill this void. Playing in a familiar, but very neglected, unhyphenated-punk, their full length debut, Diamond Heist, instantly reminds its listeners of the passion that gave punk music its original draw.

While there are certainly hyphenated influences scattered throughout the album, the traditionally fast tempo and vocal range (that narrowly avoids degrading into a growl) ground the album in an unmistakably "punk" foundation. Songs like "Who's The Terrorist Now" and "Worchester, MA" sound unmistakably influenced by the unyielding drum beats and fast but simple guitar chords of early Anti-Flag and The Unseen. Because of its rock solid punk core when the band subtly draws upon various other schools of punk they momentarily enhance their sound rather than jeopardize their foundation. For example, "Crucial Times" ends with a slower, street-punk influenced backdrop featuring a crowd shouting the track's title. Because this marks the sub-genre's lone appearance, the shouting harnesses street-punk's inherent political conscious, successfully highlighting the song's urgent call for political change. Other songs like "Second View" contain tinges of early Decedents pop-punk, while the slightly smoother vocals on tracks like "Barely Legal" and "Avoid the Lloyd" instantly garner comparisons to 90's melodic skate-punk.

For the album's second half the band slows down the tempo (although still fast by contemporary standards) after a well executed "Intermission." During the first half of the album the tracks never really stop but seamlessly blend together. Consequently, the 23 seconds of pseudo silence (listening carefully reveals ocean waves) commencing the intermission make the slower, punk-rock influenced, bass heavy intermission quite powerful. The "Intermission" also helps ease the listener into the album's second half's more experimental tone. Following the intermission, "In My Dreams" throws a curve ball by introducing barely audible female backing vocals and a very "bouncy" beat.  The final track, "Undercurrents," even throws in a couple rock inspired guitar solos and some bass work that wouldn't sound out of place in a punkabilly tune. Throughout the entire album socially conscious lyrics call for change. The lyrical continuity also helps bind the later more experimental tracks with the more traditional songs that define pre-intermission Diamond Heist.

All together, Diamond Heist provides a pleasant surprise for those of us yearning for new bands who pay respect to unhyphenated "punk."  For this, Smartbomb delivers in spades and will likely find itself in heavy rotation on my playlists.