Fake Names – Expendables

Fakes Names have been at the top of a list of bands that excite me ever since they released there first album back in 2019, so it might come as no surprise the latest album Expendables is giving me a new shiver down the spine as I sit here hovering over the play button and feeling lucky to be able to shre the experience with you all too.

For those of you who may have been awol from the scene or just plain stuck with their heads in the sand for past few years, Fake Names is a collection of musicians that quite frankly are at the very top of the punk food chain (well in my opinion anyway), for this album the line up is Brian Baker (Minor Threat, Bad Religion, Dag Nasty), Michael Hampton (S.O.A., Embrace), Dennis Lyxzén (Refused, INVSN, The [International] Noise Conspiracy), Johnny Temple (Girls Against Boys, Soulside) and the newest member Brendan Canty (Fugazi, Rites of Spring).

This album has been reported as being recorded within a week, and from the outset your fully aware of this in a good way, the first three tracks ‘Targets’ a blast through of a punk song with a huge chorus, title track ‘Expendables’ which just fly’s like a swallow through the musical sky, it twists it turns to its hearts content, riffs and hooks that marry perfectly with the lyrics, then you get the power of ‘Delete Myself’ its anger driven and purposeful, yet it still has time to through in a beautiful lick here and there, what they all do is show that recording quickly and almost live, can be so rewardingly raw and edgy.

Not to say that this is a full on energy driven album, although it most defiantly shoots bullets of pure melody throughout, its more of a statement of intention, a need to take all the members pasts and throw them into a blender without diluting it down in any way first.  A stand out track has got to be ‘Don’t Blame Yourself’ it sits squarely in the pop camp, with no fucks given to the rock fraternity, its theme and chorus have so much admiration right here. 

‘Madtown’ is another track that deserves a mention, it somewhat drops down with a hint of melancholy, but never ever loses its way, or for one second its angst, it shows that this band is always willing to go wherever the music takes them, this is also noticeable in ‘Too Little Too Late’, it has a much choppier sound than most others on the album, it is probably the most UK New Wave your gonna get, but is so perfectly sums up this band, nothing is off the table, and every album so far has you fully captured from start to finish, in fact it always leaves you wanting more.

If you want an album/group that personifies what growing up and coming of punk age actually means, then I’d have to say this is it, never too political (we all have to chill sometime), but enough to make them relevant, always revolutionary, but fully aware of life’s misgivings and mortality.   

Too short, no, too sweet, never!  Expendables is an album that makes Fake Names fully unexpendable when it comes to listening material.

Out March 3rd via Epitaph Records

Check out all the Fake Names links for all the info you need. Fake Names Facebook