KarbomB “Nose Before Toes” review
KarbomB
Nickfit: Lead Vocals, Drums
Daver Browntown aka Waylin Van Halen: Lead Guitar, Backing Vox
Rory “Fozzy” Riley: Rhythm Guitar, Backing Vox
Jay Kill’em: Lead Bass, Backing Vox
I was not familiar with Georgia punks, KarbomB, before receiving Nose Before Toes for review. I never really know what to expect when I get an album from a punk band I haven’t heard before…. it could be shitty quality… good music but bad vocals… crappy guitar but decent vocalist… you just never fucking know. I didn’t even pop online to hear what they sounded like when I got wind of the album being on it’s way. If I can help it, I like to just hit play on the record and start from scratch, and that’s exactly what I did! karBOMBS away! See what I did there!
Available Now!
Track List:
Punx Been Dead We’re Just Stupid
Sex, Lunch, And Rock And Roll
Bastard Flu
Below The Boot
Always In The Crowd
Vegan And Scara
Town Cars And Gay Bars
Empty Bottles
Lucky Dog
Jon
Total And Complete Gnarliness
This Party Boat Is Sinking
The album starts off awesome with Punx Been Dead We’re Just Stupid. The drums and guitar bust in and I was patiently awaiting to hear the vocals and you get a faint vocals into a soft rolling drum then finally almost 50 seconds after you hit play, the solid vocals come in and it’s like… BOOM. Nick has a great, SoCal punk voice and I am so into it. A mere minute into the song, I am looking forward to the next one.
Sex, Lunch and Rock and Roll starts off with pretty sweet lyrics, “Rolled out of bed, wishing I were dead.” And while all your PMA’ers are like “fuck that shit,” I’m like “yeah sing that shit!” Not that I roll out of bed and wish for death or anything, but it’s just so crusty and punk to sing about it. Ha! Plus you have to give the song a chance and listen to the rest of it. I’m gathering that it’s about being judged for being a punk rocker and trying to get past the negative bullshit and getting through life. This song has song of my favorite lyrics on the entire album, “Just when you think it’s over, you might as well bend over, spread your cheeks…” and so on. You’ll have to listen to get the full effect!
The third track is one they streamed before the album dropped, Bastard Flu. I didn’t get to hear it when they first streamed the song, but after giving it a whirl, I can totally see why they chose it as a featured track to tease listeners with. “Live dumb, die fun, take shit from no one.” More lyrical genius came pooping out of my speakers from the get-go. It’s only track three and I’m already excited to let this record play fucking over and over. This song seems pretty blatantly about the epidemic of everyone being a bastard. Like… hey man, don’t sweat it because everyone’s an asshole. And you know what, people? THEY’RE FUCKING RIGHT. No one makes it out alive.
While track number three is dearly loved by me, I have to say that Below the Boot has won the title of my favorite track on this record. The tapping high hats and heartfelt vocals just get me. This chorus fucking rules and that’s just all their is to it. The smooth guitar riffs behind “… so close your eyes and live your life,” just get me every time. Damn KarbomB, where the hell have you been all my life? Where were you during my teen angst years? Okay so I’m almost 27 and still a “fuck authority” asshole…. I’M SORRY. It’s a shame these guys haven’t been making albums like this for ten years, because that would be ten more years of enjoying an album as much as I’ve been enjoying this one. Oh fuck, I’m lame. I mean I’m a hardass and I’ll kill you, I SWEAR!
Let’s skip along to Vegan and ‘Scara because…. what the fuck? If you’re not as aware as someone who’s forced to be subjected to all sorts of crap, the title is obviously a pun to Tegan and Sara, a female duo that appeal to indie kids that like girls with no make up on and mullet haircuts. I’m not sure if they’re still a band, but I also don’t really care, so moving along! I definitely like this track, it’s sort of your standard “fuck you” punk song about the people that follow trends and get sucked into the corporate America that we all love to hate. Blah de blah.
Town Cars and Gay Bars is a great tune about being out drinking with your friends, puking in the street, ruining your clothes and everything in between. There are lyrics about being hit on by gay dudes and being all hazy and drunk… not really a lot of “read between the lines” here that I can see, but who knows? Don’t worry, I have a soft spot for face tattoos also so, I see where they’re coming from.
The next track, Empty Bottles, sticks with the consistent drinking theme. “This song goes out to Johnny Walker and that fucking asshole Jack. They stole my memories and never gave ’em back.” As an avid whiskey drinker myself, I can relate. It was actually this track that made me have an epiphany that this band and Red City Radio are like lyric-mates. RCR is another newer band that I am soooo into, so this is a compliment for sure. They’re considered more of a post-hardcore style of band that definitely seem to have some punk influence, but when hearing some of KarbomB’s lyrics, they sound like something Red City Radio would sing about, and started making me relate the two for sure. They have similar vibes and would probably be a great pair to tour together, drawing an audience together that may not otherwise have been at the same show, yet obviously like the same style of drinking anthems and whatnot. Oh yeah….. that’s good.
Lucky Dog is a touching track that I don’t personally relate to because my heart is as cold as the ice in your Shirley Temple, however, I can appreciate the fact that whoever had their hand in writing this one is okay with expressing such vulnerable feelings about a chick. “You make me feel like I’m a lucky dog. There’s no way to shake this grin of shit-eating proportion.” At least they put a punk rock twist in their super soft lyrics. Thank God. 666.
Skipping onto talking about the final track, This Party Boat is Sinking, I have to say this was a great way to end a great album. Just like the intro, you have a slow build into the song and well after a minute of it’s start, they bust in with the vocals; which totally make you want to sing along. Nick’s raspy voice is extremely appealing to me and gives me a nostalgic old-school feeling, even though the song is new to me. This is a slower paced song than most of the others, and it’s a good wind down tune from all the air-drumming you’ve been doing on the steering wheel to the other songs. What? Yes, I do that.
Fuckin eh, man. Nose Before Toes is not only one of the best album names I’ve heard in a while, but this shit is a contender for my top ten albums of the year (stay tuned for that shit!). KarbomB has blown me away with this full length debut and I am stoked to hear more from these guys in the future. Hopefully they can get a full US tour rolling and make it out to California because I will A) out drink them B) interview them C) take pictures and D) hope they keep their clothes on in the pictures. This record is already available for your grubby little paws so go get this shit, because it’s well worth the minimal effort it takes to purchase anything now a days, ding dongs.
About the Author
Denise Borders 39, Los Angeles. Denise founded PWV in 2008 and remains the primary manager and photographer/videographer. She is not secretly obsessed with Joey Cape.
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