What a helluva fun record this is! Rat Beat is the debut from Beach Rats, a sort of punk All Star Squadron of players: vocalist Ari Katz (Lifetime), guitarist Pete Steinkopf (Bouncing Souls), bassist Bryan Keinlen (Bouncing Souls), guitarist Brian Baker (Bad Religion, Minor Threat), and Danny Windas (Let It Burn) on drums. The line-up's first album is out on Friday via Epitaph and I defy you to find a more listenable long-player in this long-sweltering summer.
The players teamed up to learn how to play like they played before they knew how to play, to paraphrase the press release about this team, and that's one way to describe the throwback pleasures of Rat Beat. Nothing here sounds over-thought, nor over-produced, with the riffs and drum-hits bursting forward with the zest of any one of these dudes' old bands. There's a beach theme, yeah, but this isn't a Surf Punks thang. No, this is hardcore of a sort, with each cut roaring forward with the kind of energy we routinely heard from bands in this genre a few decades ago.
"Bikes Out!" is a call to arms, a signal to get up and go, while "Rat Beat" pounds and shifts tempo a bit mid-song. It's cathartic, but concise, as is "Saturday", another gem here. "Blown to Bits" has the most distinct melody, in my opinion, with this one sounding a tiny bit like Baker's old band, Dag Nasty. It's just the right degree of catchy, even as it catches fire and explodes. Elsewhere, "Heavy Conversation" is hard as hell, with a guitar-line that's incendiary, while closer "Fuck You Dad", the longest song here, varies tempo and mood, with lyrics that are like Eighties hardcore classics updated with a knowing wink.
Rat Beat is economical and precise, a crash course in the form even. It's tight and serious in the right way, beach motif or not. For Brian Baker fans, this finds the master in fine form, with the riffs recalling his Bad Religion days, or his earlier Dag Nasty ones. There's pieces of this entire project that fit the season, even as the hooks are perennial. Rat Beat rocks, even as it subtly updates the template these musicians used in countless earlier acts. Superb!
Rat Beat by Beach Rats is out on Friday via Epitaph.
[Photo: Matthew Gere]