The Remote Controls – S/T CD

Here are some more energetic punk rock tunes for your listening pleasure. This release recently arrived at our headquarters, and I can’t stop listening to it since then. There’s something about The Remote Controls that keeps me spinning their songs non-stop, and I am pretty sure you’ll do the same once you hear them. For those unfamiliar with this band, The Remote Controls are an Indianapolis-based punk rock group, and they released their debut full-length album in June of 2022. They somehow sneaked under my radar back then, but they were kind enough to send me a copy of their debut CD for a review. They packed a CD in a high-quality eco-pack sleeve, including a lyric sheet, a set of six stickers, and a temporary tattoo. It’s a nice bundle, especially if you’re into stickers.

This self-titled full-length album carries ten excellent punk rock compositions. Soundwise, The Remote Controls keep it short and simple. They solely rely on an old-school punk rock sound that was quite popular during the nineties. However, you’ll hear other complementary music genres along the way, such as pop-punk, melodic hardcore, and hardcore punk. The Remote Controls doesn’t escape from Americana, country, and rock’n’roll either, and you’ll hear these elements in the particular compositions. However, these additional sonic ingredients serve more as decorations, enhancements, accentuations, and other details that keep their songs even more entertaining. The most important thing about this album is that The Remote Controls sound like an experienced, skillful, confident musicians who probably played in other punk rock bands before.

As I mentioned, these guys keep it short and simple. They based almost all of their tracks on three to four-chord progressions, empowered by detailed basslines and energetic beats. Some listeners might find this album annoying because The Remote Controls totally excluded slow songs, but I find that as a bonus. After all, when you heard straightforward punk rock consisting of only fast songs last time? Albums like these are considered a rarity nowadays, and there are small chances you’ll stumble upon a debut album like this one in a very long time. This album deserves a vinyl treatment as soon as possible, and it would be such a shame if these guys don’t press at least a small amount of it on wax. The Remote Controls recorded an outstanding debut that deserves your utmost attention. Give it a listen and purchase a CD at their Bandcamp page.