Radioactivity – Radioactivity

Formed from the ashes of The Marked Men (although the group is apparently still semi active), Radioactivity play music that sounds a whole lot like… The Marked Men. While it seems like a strange decision to form a band that sounds a lot like your previous band, it works here. There is much to love, regardless of the moniker that graces the album cover. This is the first of two upcoming releases from the band, which should leave fans excited. 

The songs are a catchy style of pop inflected garage rock, existing on the outer fringes of the punk scene. For the uninitiated listener, The Ramones may be an apt comparison, although that would be lazy. The vocals are sweeter than Joey’s, less raw and monotonous. The average length of the songs sits just at the two minute mark and there are a number of songs that fall short of that length. The short, fast punk songs like Sickness are balanced with longer tracks like Alone, a pop fuelled track with faint new wave tendencies. There isn’t a wide variety of experimental sounds present here, instead they stick to what they know. This is a good thing because they play their brand of garage punk well, tempering it with pop inflections and bashing through their songs in short order. It is a fun concise listen. 

Radioactivity consists of thirteen exciting tracks, brimming with energy. These are the type of songs that make it difficult to listen while sitting still. Toes will be tapping and heads will be bobbing. Guitar solos are smile inducing and thoughts of denim jackets may begin to invade your mind. For all the hype that The Strokes received when their debut hit the streets, Radioactivity actually play garage punk with substance. This should appeal to hipster punks and aging punks alike. It is an instantly likeable mix of straightforward garage punk and pop sounds.