Crimes

Filled with a kind of nervous urgency, Crimes, the second album from Occult Detective Club, builds upon the spirit of garage punk. Merging the driving energy of bands like the Ramones and the New Bomb Turks with an airtight delivery, the band freshens up that raw sound with tightness reminiscent of California skatepunk. What's surprising is that, rather than taking away from the songs' energy, the restrained delivery adds a new layer of anxiousness, creating a feeling that's somewhere between being uncomfortable in your own skin and being moments away from bolting for the nearest exit. Digging a little below the musical tension and down into the lyrics, it quickly becomes clear that Occult Detective Club are classic punks at heart -- unsatisfied with the status quo, unlucky in love, and just upset enough to pick up some guitars and bang out some tunes to tell you all about it. With such a simple, direct, and earnest approach, it's hard not to side with these guys, taking up the cause of the disaffected and dejected in the name of good old-fashioned punk rock. ~ Gregory Heaney