New Rocket Union – Twin Cities Breakdown

New Rocket Union or should that be “New Rock n Fuckin Roll Union!” Have released what and can only be described as a stripped back musical bible of what taking things back too when I was just a teenager, just after the glam period, when bands like New York Dolls were throwing themselves around the Old Grey Whistle Test studio and giving whispering Bob a headache he deserved.  No NRU are not as flamboyant as that, but then bands like Eddie & The Hots Rods, The Saints, Dr Feel Good and The Boys filled the gap between what the Dolls did and what was happening in the “pub scene” as it was known, this is where NRU take you all the way back to. 

Where things get really interesting is when you get a band from the States, playing music that I thought when I was younger had its roots in the UK pub scene, mixing this with Ramones style and also giving it a huge twist of what is essentially the actual roots of it all, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis or Chuck Berry being where the credit lies.

When the riffs kick in on the first track of this eleven track sophomore album, its immediately apparent that this not going to be an album that tries to be anything other than it sets out to be, no over the top production methods, in fact you could be just stood right there in a venue/bar somewhere with the band rockin right in front of you, ‘Wait’n For You’ being the song that sets you on the journey which is then immediately followed by ‘Upside Down’ which loses no energy, in fact from start to finish, this album just trades blows, an uppercut from ‘Outta Sight’ followed by a right hook from ‘Outta Mind’ sets you up for crushing knock out blow from the Motorhead esque title track ‘Twin Cities Breakdown’ (turn it up full blast!).

Throughout this onslaught on your ears, there’s no doubt what is fully on the mind of NRU is to do nothing less than Rock your head off your shoulders then pick it right back up again and carry on.  ‘Dirty Little Lies’ has my vote as the song that needs a health and safety warning all over it, with its dirt guitar riffs and a hook that will never leave you for a week.  Oh and all this from a duo with a guitar and drum kit that sound full band.

Get yourself a copy of their orange crush vinyl and don’t expect anything REM.

To get your ears around this album, head on over to the bands BANDCAMP page and to see more check out thier FACEBOOK