The Moröns – The Book Of Morön

The Moröns are back with their new album, The Book Of Morön, well they never really went away, since 2017 they’ve steadily pumped out their own brand of punk rock mayhem in the shape of a brace of EP’s and their 2021 full length, Today’s Special, and that’s without counting frontman Robbie Morön’s own prolific solo output and guest appearances on other releases. This is a punk band firmly of the if it ain’t broke don’t fix it mentality, if you loved the previous output by The Moröns then this will be almost certainly belong in your collection, if you haven’t heard the good word of The Moröns then what have you been doing?

The opening track, Congregation, urges The Moröns faithful to rise and open their hearts (and wallets) before we enter the first psalm, I Wanna Be A Hesher, which, after a quick google search I discover to be a old school metal fan, why anyone would want this on 2022 is a mystery to me, but they say the lord’s work can move in mysterious ways. By the time you hit Southwood you should be on the road to conversion and Upgrade To Premium should seal the deal and ensure you a place in the kingdom of Morön.

The fast paced melodic punks sermon continues unbated with Open Bar and Prairie Fire before The Moröns hit you with the unexpected. Keeping up their habit of covering songs that caused me much pain in the 80’s and turning them into punk anthems, there’s a surprising cover of Whitney Houston’s I Wanna Dance With Somebody, not a song I ever thought I’d find myself singing or dancing along to, but the commandment is clear, and as I had the same experience with their reworking of Enya’s Orinoco Flow I shouldn’t have been surprised.

The Lead Single Ride Or Die was the perfect introduction to The Book Of Morön but the fact that it doesn’t stand out amongst the dozen cuts tells you that there’s some divine inspiration at work. On The Pil, Cable and Old Timers keep the beat alive before the album reaches it’s finalè with the short and sweet I’m In A Band and the comparatively epic Crash And Burn. This is fast faced melodic punk rock that doesn’t take itself even remotely seriously and should be essential listening for fans of the likes of The Vandals, Screeching Weasel, Guttermouth and The Methadones.

The nod to Trey Parker and Matt Stone’s hugely successful and blasphemous musical is obviously a good fit, irreverent, fun and definitely for those who have a sense of humour, this is high energy punk rock that is just here for a good time. The congregation can now be unseated, pick up their beers and form a circle pit.

The Book Of Morön is now available through High End Denim Records and digital platforms.