New Rocket Union – Twin Cities Breakdown LP

After being blown away by their debut album, I awaited this weekend with anticipation to thoroughly listen to Twin Cities Breakdown, a recently released full-length by superb Ramonescore duo New Rocket Union. For those who missed my previous review about their self-titled debut, I can only advise you to stop wasting time and immediately check out this outstanding band. I am positively sure you won’t be disappointed if the powerful Ramones-infused garage punk sound is something you dearly love. Even the recordings preceding their debut sound good, so head over to their Bandcamp page and check everything out. You won’t be disappointed.

After putting the introduction to this review aside, let’s examine their second full length. Twin Cities Breakdown carries eleven ridiculously excellent punk rock songs. New Rocket Union retain the moves from their previous recording. All the recognizable maneuvers from the debut and other recordings are there, but the band lifted every sonic movement to an entirely new level. These guys still explore the foundations of Ramonescore sound, garage punk, garage rock, and rock’n’roll, but Twin Cities Breakdown seems to resonate with more ideas, energy, and dynamics. It’s nearly mindblowing how New Rocket Union uplifts a sound explored by many bands without sounding repetitious and boring. Quite the contrary, this recording, like their previous one, stands out and shines brighter compared to other recordings released by contemporaries who explore the same sound.

Of course, the band thought about everything, so Twin Cities Breakdown brings a better, slightly polished sound that satisfies all the trends in contemporary music production. You’ll hear both musicians giving their best performance from scratch to finish. However, New Rocket Union also thought about the garage aspect of their music, so the rawness, abrasiveness, and dirtiness are still present in the mix. It seems like the band hasn’t changed anything about it, but you’ll unquestionably hear how instruments resonate with a slightly brighter sound compared to their previous studio works. Of course, three or four-chord progressions, riffs, rock’n’roll solos, and excellent drumming are still present as before, so the satisfaction is guaranteed. Twin Cities Breakdown is something you definitely need to experience to comprehend the brilliance of New Rocket Union, so head over to their Bandcamp and purchase this album on vinyl record. As I said before, you won’t be disappointed.