The Suburbs - The Good Times Are Gone

Contra Records

 

Our German friends over at Contra Records are a bit worries. They noticed that good bands keep on poppin’ up from surrounding countries, but that their beloved Germany, with one of the biggest Oi! and punk scenes in the world, is lacking good, new bands. Although I understand where this is coming from, I personally think us fans of German (sung) Oi! music don’t have to worry too much. With new(-‘ish’) bands like 7er Jungs, Spy Kids, Fat Tonies (who will release their debut 7” on Contra Records soon as well), Shaven Heads and Anti Clockwise there’s still a good supply of fresh Oi! tunes out of the country of curry-wursts and Volkswagens.

 

To this list we can now add The Suburbs, hailing from the great city of Berlin. The band just released their debut full-length “The Good Times Are Gone” for Contra Records, and despite this being their debut release these guys are no stranger to the scene. With gained experience in other Oi!, punk and power pop bands such as Towerblocks, The Pikes and Die Zusamm-Rottung these Berlin boys are having a go at it again with a fantastic blend of 80’s inspired British Oi! and punk music much alike Infa Riot, The Ejected and The Strike.

 

After the band's debut EP on Bootboys' Cove Records in 2013, The Suburbs now strike hard with a total of 14 tracks on “The Good Times Are Gone”, courageous in a time when both bands and labels release single after single! Of course this leaves the possibility of a ‘miss’ here or there, but sometimes that’s just a chance you have to take. Because not everything on “The Good Times Are Gone” is gold, but with tracks like “Hank”, “Buy Your Image”, “Punks On The Catwalk”, “Working Poor”, “Addicted To Oi!”, “Generation Vodka”, “Violence Down The Subway”, “Oi! Boys” and “Same Old Shit” most of it is, making it one helluva debut album!

 

So if you want to hear some fresh German Oi! inspired by the 80’s Britannia in both sound and image, Contra Records just threw 14 of them on a new slab of wax called “The Good Times Are Gone” with courtesy The Suburbs. The good times just keep on rollin’ out of the Contra office!