The Atom Age – The Hottest Thing That’s Cool

Two years after their distinct debut, California “angry-ska” quintet The Atom Age has returned with a new dose of malevolence in their sophomore effort, The Hottest Thing That’s Cool.  Everything that there was to like about Kill Serf City remains a given, with a fresh batch of tunes reinforcing the band’s previously proven foundation, with – dare I say – even more confidence and aggression.

“Push and cut to the front of the line – Alright! Alright!!” belts vocalist Ryan Perras, wasting no time in expressing his irritation at the onset of opener “Dig The Future.”  One track later, his innate frustration bleeds steadily into the decapitation referencing “Cut, Paste & Kill” – the track’s momentum revving with an in-your-face tempo and boisterous gang vocals.  The band’s trademark dark humour remains well intact on tracks like the arrogant, “Kiss The Ring” with the ego-inflating, assertion to “remember who you’re talking to, bow down bow down, kiss the ring!”  The band’s domineering Rocket From The Crypt-inspired confidence shines through in all levels, always bolstered by a prevailing saxophone and the resolute stomp of crunching riffs.  Serving as the strongest of the batch, the title track closes the album with gavel pounding authority.

While the majority of The Hottest Thing That’s Cool sticks close to the status quo, a few new elements surface on the back half.  The most notable departure rises doubly in the tempo reduction and organ infusion defining “Dead Wrong.”   Playing out like a lazy (but still angry) organ-led ska tune loosely inspired by Tim Armstrong or The Slackers, the appealing organ hum proves that The Atom Age has plenty of opportunity for expansion, and most importantly a platform from which to further develop their career.

The Atom Age has made the audio-equivalent to a fistfight – The Hottest Thing That’s Cool will leave you black and blue and full of adrenaline.  Some may find the seemingly bottomless well of aggression too much to stomach (weaklings!), but those of us who survive the ensuing scuffle will surely walk away all the stronger.