Montreal punks NOBRO have already gained praise from Kerrang! and slayed stadiums with The Distillers and Alexisonfire and now they’re releasing new EP ‘Sick Hustle’.
There’s a stomping glam rock feel to the opening ‘Don’t Die’, a belter filled with tales of both debauchery and the more mundane aspects of modern life: ‘Who are these people? Why am I talking about this?’ Vocalist and bassist Kathryn McCaughey then decides ‘Hey, let’s get engaged, we’ve got nothing else to do today’ before the whole band repeat the mantra of the title by chanting ‘don’t end up six feet deep’ in unison. ‘Don’t Wanna Talk About It’ follows with heavy, grungy riffs and passionate vocals (’26 and you’ve got no money’) before a demand of ‘everybody freak out’ finds the band crashing into a crescendo of guitar noise and Sarah Dion’s resounding drums.
‘Til I Get It All’ opens with a burst of pacy yet melodic riffs that reminded us of Marmozets as the lyrics go into darker places (‘I’ll try until we get along’; ‘Don’t care if I live or die’) while the closing ‘Marianna’ has a crisper, ‘poppier’ sound that captures the spirit of Joan Jett and Bleached. It’s a touching and triumphant tribute to someone that Kathryn still loves despite losing contact with them: ‘Oh, Marianna, why’d you have to go so far away. Do you hear me now? I sing out loud’.
Judging by these four songs, NOBRO won’t have to hustle for long… Their spiky punk sound is going to gain them a legion of fans in next to no time.