It’s been a while since I last wrote about Liquids, back when they released what I thought was the best punk record of the year. Since then, the band has put out a steady stream of singles, odds and ends compilations, EPs, and albums—some of which, for reasons I can’t quite pin down, didn’t fully click with me. But that’s the beauty of Liquids: they do whatever they want. They’re never boring, and while not everything may land, your next favorite punk track could pop up at any moment. Enter Tennessee Rose. WHAT. A. HIT! Clocking in at 130 seconds, this track is pure catchiness. Still distinctly lo-fi, it finds Liquids at their most melodic and accessible. It’s the perfect gateway for the remaining seven tracks on the EP, where the band unapologetically have fun doing whatever they please. You’ll find a shredding instrumental, a blistering 50-second hardcore burst (Change), some brooding death rock (Pale Moon Dancer), and delightfully deconstructed covers of classics: Elvis Presley’s Promise Land (sic) and Sus Minds (sic!), and Dusty Springfield’s Sun of a Preacher Man (sic!!). I guess what I am trying to say is that I had an absolute blast playing this one on repeat today.
