Album Review: Debt Neglector – Atomicland

Florida’s Debt Neglector will release their debut album, Atomicland, on August 18th via Smartpunk Records, the album is a blast of catchy, grungy, aggressive tunes dealing with anxiety, depression, paranoia, abuse, and other warm and fuzzy subjects that is the soundtrack of a band that is hoping to enact some positive change. Over the course of half an hour Debt Neglector manage to showcase their dynamics with speed, heaviness, and attack, all while not giving up on the infectious guitar melodies and vocal harmonies that embed themselves firmly in your frontal lobes and are just impossible to pry out.

From the second you drop the needle you’re hit with the instantly infectious blast of politically charged melodic punk rock, the title track is the perfect introduction, but this is not an album that relies solely on an opening hook, Atomicland is as finer debut punk album as you’re likely to hear this year. Every single track brings the kind of manic punk rock that it’s impossible not to love, the off tempo timing changes keep you guessing and the whole package just fizzes with an energy that is fuelled by a sense of injustice, this combination makes Atomicland a near perfect delivery of punk and hardcore that sits distinctly on the melodic side of both styles.

If you’re a fan of Bad Religion, Dead To Me and Guttermouth then Debt Neglector will be a more than welcome addition to your collection, Atomicland is the rare kind of album that reminds you exactly why you fell in love with punk in the first place. Normally I’d mention my stand out tracks in a review, but doing that on this album would just result in a track listing, there isn’t a moment on Atomicland that doesn’t hit the spot and as a result I have to say that this is one of the best punk albums I’ve heard this year, and Debt Neglector sit amongst the best new bands I’ve discovered in 2017.

Atomicland can be pre-ordered via Smartpunk Records here