Californian Punksters Culture Abuse return with their sophomore album, the tunefully laidback ‘Bay Dream’. Opener and title track ‘Bay Dream’ laconically springs into bleary-eyed life with a morose Sunday morning, I need a coffee feel. ‘Rats In The Walls’ and ‘Dip’ are both American atmospheric with clear water, blue skies and Coca-Cola served in glass bottles with red stripy straws attitude. A stunning ‘Bee Kind To The Bugs’ riffs in and out Beach styles with a classic grunge back beat, it works. ‘S’Why’ is followed by the slacker heavy, cool for not being cool ‘California Speedball’. The brand new single (link below) ‘Calm E’ is a song of captivating main stage festival perfection and is destined to be the feel-good/don’t care hit of the summer.
‘Dave’s Not Here (I Got The Stuff Man)’ goes for a twist of Britpop keyboards and a CBGB’s punch ‘n’ run riff before ‘Dozy’ flickers into daybreak hours with a Stooges piggyback. Final cut ‘Bluebird On My Shoulder’ is a run credits to fade out finale. Find some shade grab a cold one and let Culture Abuse seep into your musical psyche, you won’t regret it.
CULTURE ABUSE
BAY DREAM
Epitaph
8/10