Chris DeLine

Typically, gutter-punk is best done when you have a string of experiences that give you the edge that the music requires. It’s hard a lot of times to define whether or not the music is genuine, example: Mr. Billy Joe Armstrong slummed it when growing up, and you don’t really hear the same bitter, aggressive music from Green Day these days…do you? The boys from Clit 45, who I don’t believe have anything to do with the Coalition for Liberation of Itinerate Tree-dwellers, have a history in the scene that began when they were all 15 and 16 years old. Releasing their first EP in 1998, they’ve stepped further into the street punk scene and have gained quite a bit of recognition in the process.

I have typically never been a fan of gutter-punk no matter the label, but the band offers a few songs that really kill. 2, 4, 6, 8’s lead track, “Your Life to Choose,” has the essential punk rock mentality, but adds a vocal variety not heard on the other tracks. Not that punk as of late is really known for its ingenuity, but the album falters for its lack of overall musical variety and song presence. Lyrically, street punk seems to be vulgar for the sake of being vulgar, and it waters down the unchanging theme that the band’s music surrounds. I have similar thoughts about one time Clit 45 tour-mates The Casualties, however, which reflects my personal taste more than the music in general. There aren’t a whole hell of a lot bands that make it out of the garage, let alone on international tours, so props to them, it’s just not my piece of pie.

[This post was first published by Culture Bully.]