The Moröns – Today’s Special

Today’s Special has been sat on the shelf for a while, although this isn’t as unappetising as that sounds. The Moröns originally planned to release Today’s Special, their debut full-length, last year, but the band held off releasing the album whilst they waited for the pandemic to blow over. This optimistic, but spectacularly ineffective, strategy obviously didn’t pan out. Instead the band steadily drip fed tracks from the album onto streaming platforms until the grim realisation set in that we’re stuck with that damn virus for a while longer. The result of this moment of clarity is that the album will now be released in full in just a few days time, on July 1st, on CD, digital and red vinyl formats via Wasted Wax Records.

The Moröns, whose moniker is tellingly pronounced to rhyme with Ramones, debut full length follows on from 2019’s sensitively titled We Threw You Under The Bus ‘Cause It’s The Best Place For You EP, reassuringly they’ve picked up right were they left off before the pandemic hit and shelved The Moröns, and everyone else’s, plans. Kicking of with their own theme tune, M.O.R.Ö.N.S., this is a relentless album that delivers twelve hits of rapid fire good time party punk rock that are served up in a near perfect half hour. Each of tracks on Today’s Special could have easily been a single and, before they were withdrawn from digital platforms ahead of full album release, nine of the tracks were actually released as singles.

You can hear the influences scattered throughout the album, the irreverent side of punk rock is well represented on Today’s Special, and fans of Guttermouth and The Vandals certainly won’t be disappointed on any level, but there are also a few technical flourishes and a good old solid chewy core of rawkus punk rock. The Moröns sound is one that combines a set of familiar and classic ingredients, including a revved up cover of The Police’s So Lonely, and they’ve added their own special sauce into the mix. Sometimes specials can become a regular fixture on the menu, some become classics.

I’d certainly recommend trying Today’s Special, as it’s certainly it’s been worth the wait. Whilst pre-orders have now closed, digital, CD and red vinyl copies will be available on release day via digital platforms, The Moröns and Wasted Wax Records