Disgraceland, UK's finest from the beautiful Devon, formed out of the ashes of the excellent Grifter and are spearheaded by the former's singer/ guitarist Ollie Stygall and drummer Foz. But I guess all other similarities ends there. This new trio of knuckleheads, rounded out by bass player, Chris Glew, go for balls out punk rock'n'roll soaked in badass riffs and with a tongue-in-cheek fuck-you approach in the lyrics. And that's how I want my punk rock'n'roll, you hear?! So far these miscreants have self-released three EPs: 'EP # 1', 'Leftovers' and 'Dose 'Em Up' and all three are covered below, so keep on reading, dear wave riders, and get dosed up!
‘EP #1’
Prior to recording their debut, Disgraceland put down a number of songs on tape, “rough” versions, as a reference point for those sessions. And 5 tracks made it onto ‘EP #1’. Disgraceland start off the proceedings with ‘You Deserve It’ and it comes at you at 200 mph. Has a feel of cowpunk and surf rock to it, which is mainly in the guitar playing, and with a welcoming healthy dose of Motörhead thrown in to spice it up even more. Great start, indeed! ‘I Gots It All’ is a short, sharp, shock attack and the guitar retains the surf rock feel in the verses while the choruses goes balls out with some furious playing. ‘Best Little Doggie In Town’ sees the band slow down on the pace and that serves the title so well. You could take this song at face value where Disgraceland has perfectly captured the life and swagger of a dog is spot on. But it is actually more serious than that, as it deals with people who will do anything to be in a relationship which is very unhealthy. ‘Just Some Fucking Words’ is simply brilliant! Slow and lurking like something out of Twin Peaks, the choruses turn into Therapy? with a nice bluesy solo on top of it all. Add the tongue-in-cheek lyrics and voila la, a great song with just fucking words. The EP ends with ‘100% Cunt’ which is an intense dollop of punk rock’n’roll. Full tilt going for the balls with lyrics to match.
‘Leftovers’
As the title bluntly states, this EP contains leftovers originating from the ‘EP #1’ sessions. These are almost in pristine condition, in this case meaning very little touching up was done. Ollie had been sick for a while so his voice is rough which actually suits the songs really well. And there are no backing vocals from Chris. After the debut was released the unused songs were forgotten. That is until the band found them and loved what they heard. So presto….welcome to the world, ‘Leftovers’!
‘2nd Bite’ lays down the law, no questions asked. Intense, in-yer-face and right to the point. Treat me bad one time is fine but make a second attempt, second bite, and you’re shit out of luck. ‘Drunken Ninja’ has that surf rock feel to the opening guitar riff but after that it’s no holds barred boogie hard punk. And who hasn’t been a drunk ninja? Just asking. ‘Just Like That’ has such a nice Motörhead feel to it with some crazed and frenzied punk approaches in the verses. Absolutely love it!
‘Dose ‘Em Up’
Hitting the airwaves in June 2020, a year after their debut, ‘Dose ‘Em Up’ is a natural progression the previous releases. At the same time, this recording ties back to ‘EP #1’ with the song, ‘Harvey’. It never made the cull back then but definitely fits the mold here.
Opener ‘Storming In An H Cup’ flies out of the gate just like Disgraceland does it. It rocks and roll while leaving no stone unturned as the band sings about how all aspects to cover in keeping a relationship. Especially the physical and mental needs and it’s not always an easy task. Next up is the blistering ‘Hillbilly Heroin’. Has a spaghetti western feel to it throughout musically but in the shape of punk. Brings forth what happened to kids aged 16-21 in the American Midwest during the 80s and early 90s. Encouraged by pill makers doctors prescribed Oxycontin whether needed or not for free. By the time these kids turned 21 they were hooked but had to pay and this became known as Hillbilly Heroin. ‘Harvey’ kicks ass big time and I love how much Ollie’s voice reminds me of Pete Stahl, around the time of Wool. Don’t who this song is about per se but about a typical rich, powerful scuzzballs who uses their wealth and position to rape and pillage. ‘Hard Of Thinking’ is intense to say the least. To me it sounds like Therapy? with Andy Cairns and Pete Stahl sharing the vocals. Lyrically it’s something we all deal with daily, I’d say, ignorant and brainless zombified knuckleheads…hence the title. Smashing song with a great unexpected reggae outro. Full frontal Motörhead on triple doses of speed is what ‘Adult Fuckery’ is and fantastic neckbreaker, at that as well. Apart from being able to earn money, screw and drink being an adult sucks bad! This amazing EP ends with the perfect homage to spaghetti westerns, Ennio Morricone and Clint Eastwood…’Clint’. It’s an instrumental composition which also plays praises to punk, surf rock and Black Sabbath.
So what else is there to say? Well, Disgraceland are a class act who show they don’t mess around. They are the real deal and these three EPs clearly emphasizes this. It might sound corny but each release show a step up, of not standing still to make the music interesting and keep it that way. To me, that’s rare within the realm of punk and very refreshing. Whatever you, whatever your musical preferences are, don’t miss out on this trio of miscreants because their music will make your life so much better. Great stuff, indeed!
-Swedebeast