Album Review: Answering Machine – Bad Luck

Answering Machine are a band that play what can best be described as Punk, Alt Country, Pop, Rock and maybe a few more things thrown in for good measure. Yes they are eclectic to put it in simpler terms.

Made up of Samantha (vocals) and JD (guitar/vocals), two public school teachers in Brooklyn, started the band back in 2016. Close friends quickly filled the gaps with Jackson on guitar, Louis on drums, and Craig on bass.  Craig and Louis played in a few popular local Brooklyn bands (Cold Wrecks, Ellen And The Degenerates). Jackson has been playing in bands with JD since childhood.

With all the experience and friendship that has clearly been poured into the band, then this album surely has all the chance in the world of being something that shows what can be born from a mutual loving of what they do.

Those last few lines were written to pre-empt the fact that actually this album does exactly that, it’s a mix of so many influences and styles and has all the love of what they do written all over it, somehow you feel yourself not over thinking every song or analysing lyrics at every turn, but simply enjoying the music and feeling happy about it.

The album starts off with “Riverdale” a song that’s has its fair share of country sounding lyrics, but with that you also get a very strong hint of Rock’N’Roll guitar, and straight up Rock bass, coupled with pure fast paced pop punk drumming that runs right through the centre of the whole album, like a stick of candy rock.  

Talking of candy, the Song “Bubblegum” isn’t actually the most bubblegum of the whole album, in fact it’s filled with some wonderful rock riffs and seems combine this with all the Green Day “Uno” “Dos” “Tres” trilogy sound you could shake a stick at, not only this, but along with the track “Cherry Coke” (which is the most bubblegum) you are 100% left wandering did Bilie Joe himself do a cameo appearance, JD definitely has that vocal, just check out “Wet Blanket” for more proof of this.

All in all your entertained from start to finish of this huge hunk of powerful cleverly put together, one for the top of any listening pile, album.  Covering all the marks that make an album worth going back to again and again.

It’s not political, it’s not angry, it’s not life changing, and it’s certainly not making statements (well not many), what this album does, is give you that feel good that we all need sometimes.

So finishing off by placing “Someplace” at the end, an acoustic Tom Petty sounding ballad, that shows off Samantha’s smooth beautiful tone and JD’s story telling vocal, held together in a song that gives the sense of being human a joy, well yes even this hardcore punk loving guy can appreciate that.

Pop sensibility all wrapped up in a Country/Rock/Punk overcoat, what more could you ask for!

Pre-Order The digital album due out April 17th  HERE

The Bands Facebook can be found HERE

Take a look at the video for CHERRY COKE