The Punk Site 2022 Top 20: Dan Vapid & The Cheats – Welcome To Dystopia

At Number 4 in The Punk Site‘s countdown of our contributors favourite releases from 2022 are Dan Vapid And The Cheats with their fifth full-length album, Welcome to Dystopia, that sees the band make the top 5 of our end of year countdown for the second year running. The album is an unfiltered return to punk and rock ‘n roll basics that packs a powerful punch with songs that focus on the pandemic, malignant narcissism, the rise of conspiracy theories, isolation and unhealthy discourse on social media. Welcome To Dystopia is available via digital platforms as well as on vinyl and CD via Eccentric Pop Records and cassette via Memorable But Not Honorable Tapes.

“Given that we’ve been living in a truly fucked up version of The Twilight Zone for a while now, Welcome To Dystopia is an appropriate album title, and it’s quite possibly the album we all need right now. By this point Dan Vapid is not going to rewrite the rule book and it’s no surprise that this is a masterclass in the power pop punk ’n roll style that Vapid has made his own, no frills, no unnecessary filler, just straight heartfelt four on the floor punk rock that covers all of the “highlights” of the last few years; a virulent pandemic, the rise of malignant narcissism and conspiracy theorists, isolation and just how completely batshit social media has become. Cheerful stuff, yet in Vapid’s capable hands the album is more of an optimistic burst of high energy rock ’n roll, one that’s more inspiration than depression.” (Phinky September 2022)