Express & Star

Bandaid Brigade, I'm Separate - album review

There's a new American punk-rock band in our speakers. Well...sort of.

Published
The album cover for the Bandaid Brigade record

Zach Quinn (PEARS), Brian Wahlstrom (Scorpios, Gods of Mount Olympus), Paul Rucker (Armchair Martian, Street Dogs, Drag The River) and Chris Fogal (The Gamits) have formed a new four-piece that leave a lot of their punk sensibilities behind in the quest to produce something new.

Think fellow supergroup Dark Blue - it's a similar idea.

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What we have here is classic American rock tendancies, folk, pop, jazz, funk even. It's a melting pot of influences and styles that makes for a fun and surprise-laden record that will keep you guessing from start to finish.

Take the second track Travel Light, it's like a beautiful look back to when lighter guitar bands ruled their airwaves in the mid-90s and everything was so positive. That shrieking guitar throughout the chorus while fun-time percussion punctuates it will have some harking back to younger, happier times.

Treat Me Like A Christmas Tree follows suit, like Elton John infiltrating Foo Fighters with his trusty piano to lighten the mood of their more radio friendly tracks further. There is some darkness reverberating throughout via those deep verses that is then extinguished by the lighter interludes. And the majestic outro with that roaring guitar solo could be used as the music montage celebrating any fun-lover's life at its conclusion, or perhaps a celebrity striding up on stage to pick up their latest award. It's one of the most euphoric moments on the record and its length makes it even more impressive as the piano chimes along.

Bandaid Brigade's Brian Wahlstrom, left, and Zach Quinn

There's an 80s electronic vibe to Break The Grid as Quinn and Wahlstrom's screeched vocals hold court amongst the cacophony like two emo kids having a row in the middle of Stranger Things. It's a well-built track, all feelings of angst softened by those happy-go-lucky synths plonking over the top.

And those classic rock vibes are strongest through Holding Steady, a road trip number where piano and guitar again join to tell the story as one, full of vim and vigour.

These are four talented guys, you can hear that in all the intricacies hidden within. Their new path is a well-chosen one.

Rating: 7/10

Bandaid Brigade will play at Stafford's Redrum on February 2