For those late to the party, L.A.’s JJ & The Real Jerks have been kicking around since 2009, bashing out a handful of singles, e.p.’s and a full-length platter for labels like Dead Beat and Pat Todd’s Rankoutsider Records. Now, these Sons of The Dolls are back in business with their strongest batch of sleazy barroom rock ‘n’ roll yet.
Steeped in boozy swagger and Stonesy git-down, the eight songs on “Mess You Up” do exactly that. Joe “JJ” Jennings and company mix their Johnny Thunders with SoCal punk’n’roll from the glory days of The Humpers and The Drago - Rev. Norm, Razorcakens and add a spritz of Buzzcocks’ melodic attack. They come blazing out of the gate with dual-guitar overdrive and thrashing rhythm on “Built to Blast”, segue into hooky-as-hell barstool anthems like “Ten Cent Beer Night” and “Lost Souls Pub”, then celebrate the miracle of life with uplifting ditties like “Dead in the Water”, “Deprecation Blues” and “Sinking Feeling”. This is one fun, raging garage-punk platter that’ll spend some serious time on your turntable.
"This group is rubber band tight, with the drums and bass setting up a gnawing, rapid-fire percolation upon which the tangy mayonnaise of rock’n’roll is slathered. It’s kinda like as if somebody quit CH3 and got replaced by someone from the Devil Dogs, or maybe Cheetah Chrome... The guitar often works smarter and not harder here: Instead of just continually spraying testicular excretions everywhere, the guitar is occasionally used as a clever embellishment, almost like the Buzzcocks" -- Rev. Norb, Razorcake
Imported from Heavy Medication Records from Warsaw, Poland.