Pitful Small-Time Dealers – S/T CD (Fast Decade Records)

Yesterday I received a brand new release by Pitful Small-Time Dealers, a Finnish melodic punk rock band based in Espoo. I was not familiar with this band until they reached out via email, but they assured me that they sound good as soon as I noticed that Fast Decade Records signed them. Seriously, check out the Fast Decade Records roster, and you’ll be pleasantly surprised by the impressive amount of good bands signed to this Finnish record label. Fast Decade Records recently released a compact disc by Pitful Small-Time Dealers, so this is more than an appropriate time to talk about this release a little bit more.

These guys are not joking around at all. Their self-titled release contains eleven energetic punk rock tunes that will satisfy those listeners who’re into contemporary and old-school skate punk sound. Pitful Small-Time Dealers continuously levitate between these two eras, and they’re doing it pretty damn well. The first composition serves as a warm-up overture for a series of some proper melodic punk rock bangers, which shine bright with excellent riffs, catchy melodies, harmonious singalongs, nearly high-pitched chants, and fast-paced rhythmic maneuvers. Pitful Small-Time Dealers have thought about every possible detail, from song structures, arrangements, accentuations, dynamics, etc. The band nurtures a unique sound similar to some bands, but on the other hand, it differs a lot considering the terms of the skate punk genre. It’s more than a positive characteristic, considering how many similar bands lurk around the punk rock scene at the moment.

Pitful Small-Time Dealers were thinking of the rhythmic structures of their songs a lot. Therefore, you’ll notice how each composition carries a lot of fast, moderate, and slow segments, except for some exceptions where the entire tracks are in mid-tempo. The remainder of the instrumentations are also flawlessly thought out, so you’ll be blown away by the number of ideas invested in this recording. The overall listening experience is unique mainly because of the ambiance that this debut full-length carries. Besides the sheer dominance of skate punk, you’ll stumble upon some other sonic ingredients similar to those that define the mid to late nineties emo and indie scene but, of course, Pitful Small-Time Dealers are mainly focused on the skate punk sound. There you go, if this is something that sounds interesting to you, then you should consider checking this creative band out. I am positively sure you will be amazed by their tunes if you’re profoundly into melodic punk rock music. The album is available on streaming platforms, while the compact disc is available at Fast Decade Records.