The Retakes – Trash (EP)

The Retakes have taken a conglomeration of junk, mixed it with Elmers glue, tapped it together with scotch tape and blew their noses on what has to be some of the best punk/grunge rock to come across the scene in a long time. The band, The Retakes are – Miles Halverson – Vocals/Guitar Donnie Kirksey – Bass Alex Kies – Guitar and Evan Blasing – Drums and the EP is, Trash. The Retakes have really rekindled those earlier moments of gone by days through their lyrics as well as vocal presentation. This is where the snot meets the tissue or at least the wind and the mix of punk/grunge/rock held a meeting. Someone called wrestle and out of the sweating bodies slamming to the floor and touching each other in perverse ways this is the sound you get and it is some of the best. It is like we are all thinking, “Why has it taken so long?” and thank the punks of yore that finally someone out there gets it. Oh, we get it, boy do we get it and we want more!

The album Trash has five tracks on her. She is the misspent youth that was worth every dime you threw up your nose or onto the 2 bit hooker down the street. This is salaciously serious sumptuous slanderous adoration straight up couldnt be any better even if they tried punk/grunge/rock. Track one off the album Trash is “Trash.” It is the perfect opener for this album that just mind melds so many components of history, social, economics, culture, beatnik timing all rolled into one solid piece of work. The tune, “Trash” is an anthem song. Following onto their next groove of refuge is :Monkey (He Speaks His Mind)” a very heavy bass seems to be the indentation punched into the groove of who The Retakes are, for throughout this albeit incredible EP, it is far too little music because you are going to demand they make more, each song stands alone, yet collectively and the bass ties it in as a signature.  

Only four tracks and landing at number three is The Retakes ode to the thesaurus filled descriptors of trash, called, “Junk.” A measurably heavier mix that again resonates back to the earlier days of punk and grunge. Their sound is at times pulls from the earlier Pixies and heavier shuffle of The Smith’s yet The Retakes are undeniably all their own blessed piece of crap out of the manure mixture of the dumps overload of pop punk. This is grunge/punk and it is in your face. Seriously any student of rock history is going to relish The Retakes embroilment of American Beatnik Poet Allen Ginsberg as they pay tribute to Ginsberg’s suburbia in music notation. Opening the song, “Ginsberg” with the beginning stanzas of his poem, “America” this small infinitesimal glimpse of what The Retakes are creating and saying matches the damnable of western society to the nth degree and then some.

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/TheRetakes

YOU TUBE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-ssaR6JdWI

Cyrus Rhodes