2011 was the year of 90s revival. For me, nothing could beat Yuck's debut as evident in my year-end report. While I was obsessing over that release, I happened to miss Radical Dads, another great band in the same vein. The trio is comprised of Lindsay Baker, Chris Diken, and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah’s Robbie Guerton, who have all previously played together in the nine-piece collective Uninhabitable Mansions. They sound energetic and bubbling with ambition on their debut, Mega Rama. The guitars provided by Baker and Diken are the driving force behind these tight jams. Guerton holds everything together with precise drumming while also sharing vocal duties with Baker. They display great chemistry throughout and a knack for writing short but memorable songs.
"Little Tomb" opens the album with swirling guitars and a bouncy rhythm. The second track serves as the band's definitive statement with an infectious chorus that has them proclaiming, "I don't think so / I know so / This is the future / and the future is now." The third track, "Reckless", keeps the brisk pace going and features intricate guitars and pounding rhythms. It shows one of the group's greatest strengths; they don't shy away from interjecting some punk influence into the mix. Things slow down for a bit with "No New Faces" and "Hurricane". Those tracks help keep the pacing interesting while avoiding monotony. The album is only around half an hour long but not a minute of it is wasted. Make sure to pick up a copy on CD or vinyl at their bandcamp.
As a bonus, I also wanted to post their latest 7" single. The a-side "Skateboard Bulldog" was inspired by those videos of skateboarding bulldogs that we all know and love. It is a lively and lovable punk tune. The b-side is the real treat here, however. It is one of their more creative outputs carried by a ferocious lyrical wit and searing guitars.
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