Devon Kay & the Solutions
Never Punt
Johann’s Face (2011)
RIYL: The Dopamines, The Ergs!, The Copyrights
Score: 10/10
The earliest music was simple – a caveman banging rocks together between inventing fire and scarfing down brontosaurus burgers. If I understand my music history, this eventually evolved into classical music and from there, rock (but this time made with guitars, not rocks). Rock begat punk, which ultimately led to Devon Kay & the Solutions, a three piece pop punk/power pop outfit from the windy city, and their new EP Never Punt.
Never Punt is that perfect type of pop punk record I’m always on the lookout for, packed with instantly catchy hooks, interesting melodies and relatable but unconventional lyrics. Kinbb High Football Rules!, the EPs excellent opener, is a great example of this. Kay, singing with the pitch of Mikey Erg and the warble or Connor Oberst, is trying to get motivated to change his life and “be half the man that his father was” while all his friends “are either growing up or getting younger.” This, along with Kay’s plight of not being able to find a job outside of retail but still spending his cash on Evil Dead merchandise is one that, as a man with a part-time job and a comic book habit, particularly speaks to me.
W.W.B.C.D, the EP’s second track, is a true pop punk gem. I described it in an earlier feature as “3 minutes of raw emotion and poppy punk glory…combining a catchy hook with a tale of a love lost and moving on.” Songs of love and loss are nothing new, but Kay breathes new life into an old subject with the way he approaches the lyrics, which alternate between introspection about the pain of seeing his girl’s eyes wander to someone new and conversations between the two of them. Bruce Campbell, the song’s titular B.C., only had to fight Deadites, the frustration Kay feels is far more painful.
Kay isn’t the only one whose talents are on full display here. The album’s fourth track, Dark Side of the Super Moon, with its drum solo intro and thumping bass line, really showcases the skills of drummer Ryan Solava and bassist Matt “Campy” Campasano. It’s hard to listen to Moon without the rhythm section forcing you to get up and dance, as Kay adopts a tough guy-like growl and sings about his frustration with the human race being “horny fucking lunatics.” Solava and Campasano’s appearance halfway through the Matt and Kim-esq Always Tip Your Therapist turns a fun bar song into a mosh-pit inducing 30 seconds of fun.
In a summer jam packed with amazing releases, Never Punt really shines. Pick it up when it comes out July 29 on Johann’s Face Records. You won’t be sorry.
-Emily Matview
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