Isolated Earthlings – Isolated Earthlings

As I sit at gone midnight looking at my steadily drooping Xmas tree and pondering whether there is anything in the fridge apart from cheese, it is fairly obvious that we’re in that lull between the gluttony of the festive season and the celebration of a new year. Given how ’22 has gone for most of us we can only hope for better things, one of which will of course be new music. That clumsy segue brings us to Isolated Earthlings self titled debut, our first review for a ’23 release as it’s set to be released on New Years Day.

Isolated Earthlings is the creation of Blind Marc (Dayglo Abortions) who recorded the album in Edmonton with Rob Lawless, who also recorded the latest Dayglo Abortions album, at the helm. Blind Marc not only keeps the beat but also brings the bass and vocals, guitars are provided courtesy of Edmonton veteran Mike Caton (Zero Tolerance / The Boozehounds / Broken Nose), Neil Calliou (Putrefaction), Mike Jak (Dayglo Abortions) and even Blind Marc‘s nephew, Nolan Branch, chips in with Banjo and few guitar solos.

Isolated Intro builds up the tension, all jagged riffs and short heavy breakdowns that gives way to No Politics, a lo-fi apolitical punky diatribe that gives the impression the band would rather kick the fence down rather than sit on it. The lockdown penned track Crib keeps the punk beat going as does the nostalgic monologue, Ode To SCTV, both of which give you the feeling that this album is the random thoughts that were captured during quarantine. This idea is not dismissed as Space Balls is about the classic Mel Brooks 80’s sci -fi comedy, personally I prefer The Producers but yeah, comedy was Important in lockdown.

After the brief jagged Intermission the album heads in a darker heavier direction with RIP Trading Post that recalls the kinda tune late 80’s hardcore bands had a fondness for opening albums with. The album’s lead single, 21st Century, takes us back into punky territory and yearns for a past long before cellphones and omnipresent social media. This is followed by a drum solo, this does what is says on the tin but with the welcome addition of the random thoughts of Blind Marc overlaid. From there we get back into gear with Pizza Toppings, yes this is another literal track, it’s a punk rock list of pizza toppings.

The penultimate track, EMP, returns to the more upbeat style and balances hopeful and darker society ending verses, and I think maybe, just maybe, the fuck it button had been pushed when this was recorded, Final Demolition confirms this, as it is utterly unhinged. Isolated Earthling is a true original, yes in places it meanders off wherever it wants to go, but that’s just part of its charm. Blind Marc‘s solo debut comes across as being a truly honest lockdown project, one that reflects coping with everything that era threw at us with deadpan humour and personal ramblings.

Isolated Earthlings is available from New Year’s Day via Bandcamp