I have to confess to not being aware of The Men until Fuzz Club released their ‘New York City’ record in 2023 and the album length ‘Sessions’ shortly after. Turns out they’ve been around for a good while and released a wealth of music; listening back to older productions they’ve got a distinctive sound, but it never seems to stay the same and that’s evident here as this isn’t like recent outings at all and it seems they get even more direct and focussed with time.
We blast off with the furious ‘Pony’ and following that you get another 12 short sharp shocks of high voltage rock ‘n’ roll, all of it electrifying, raw and primal. The spirit of early proto punk is evident throughout, back when the emphasis was on dirty grinding rock ‘n’ roll with catchy tunes – think Heartbreakers, MC5 and Stooges.
It feels like a much-needed release of pent-up frustration; chunky guitar riffs, short spiky solos and a manic rhythm section, drums furious and explosive (almost D-beat on ‘Control’). The gravelly vocals give a strong feel of strangled desperation, weatherbeaten and damaged.
There’s spectral boogie rock piano buried in a couple of tracks, and some rich saxophone in the title track and everything is infused with a ragged bluesy undercurrent. The New Yorkers hardly let up the pummelling pace except for on the menacing 70s satanic doom riffing of ‘The Path’ and ‘Get My Soul’ and on the slightly more chilled scuzzy psych pop of ‘Charm’ with guest vocals from Jessica Poplawski and a hint of keyboards that cut through the primitive thunder.
‘Buyer Beware’ captures the sound and feel of a dark sweaty underground gig; pure, authentic and direct; an unpretentious classic take on having a good time while the world turns to shit around us. Full speed sonic violence, kicking against the pricks, kicking out the jams.
This is a garage rock album loud and proud, a gritty and abrasive snarly animal of a record – skull wrecking mind warping goodness!
Gary Powell, February 2025
