Heavy Petter – Such A Drag LP (Reel Too Real Records)

Right with the initial beats of this vinyl release, I knew this band would be right up my alley. There’s something about their highly energetic drumming and abrasive guitars that appeal to my listening apparatus, so their music entirely worked out for me after the first spinning. Heavy Petter is a punk rock trio from Barrie, Ontario, Canada. The group consists of Casey Cuff on vocals/guitar, Core on bass/back vocals, and Jon Boyer on drums/back vocals. Members of the band are also involved in all activities by Tarantula Tapes and Reel Too Real Records. If you paid closer attention to our pages in the past, you probably stumbled upon some reviews about their releases. Since 2017, Heavy Petter releases a decent amount of extended plays and singles, such as a self-titled EP, a single I Am A Girlfriend (originally performed by Nobunny), Satin Rules EP, With My Eyes acoustic EP, and a single named Until We’re Dead (originally performed by Star Fucking Hipsters).

Therefore, Such A Drag represents their debut full-length material, consisting of thirteen energetic punk rock tunes. Besides a dominant presence of punk rock sound, you may stumble on generous servings of garage punk and smaller chunks of rock’n’roll. Garage punk as a genre is quite a characteristic of the nearly entire Tarantula Tapes/Reel To Real roster. A decent share of the Heavy Petter’s abrasive sound comes from their unreserved affection towards dirty garage punk. Judging by their full-length recording, the group feels comfortable in these waters and tends to convey the message through cleverly assembled chord progressions. Still, these harmonies are effortlessly becoming robust palm-muted riffages in a matter of seconds. You’ll notice some rock’n’roll licks along the way, but these maneuvers serve more as accentuations during the particular moments. The guitar carries a reasonable amount of fuzz, so that’s where all the dirtiness comes from, but you’ll vividly hear every chord, riff, melody and harmony throughout the entire album.

The bass guitar resonates with an almost crystal clear sound, which is a bit unusual for a garage punk band, but this formula works like a charm for Heavy Petter. These basslines are contributing to the listening experience with detailed low-end tones, but also providing more than necessary support to guitars during the album. Both instruments are thoroughly combined into harmonious polyphony, and it seems like the bass guitar soaks all the distortion from the guitars. Nothing would sound so energetic without an excellent drumming performance that carries the tremendous dynamics of Heavy Petter. For those who’re looking out for a more precise examination of their sound, Heavy Petter resembles something that would The Distillers, F-Minus, Star Fucking Hipsters, and other similar bands eventually record during their careers. However, it seems that Heavy Petter are leaning more towards the garage punk/rock’n’roll side than the hardcore punk side, showcased by the beforementioned bands in the past.

Such A Drag comes on a beautiful transparent green vinyl, a limited edition green cassette, and a compact disc. You’ll instantly fall in love with the visual identity of this particular release, mainly because it includes a photo of a drummer’s kitten at the front cover artwork. The remaining portion of the cover artwork looks incredible as well, where you can find all the necessary information about the band, lyrics, and other cool stuff. The album is available on Reel Too Real Records and Heavy Petter’s Bandcamp page.