Tuesday 4 February 2020

Suspect Parts - You Know I Can't Say No 7" (Dirt Cult Records/Wanda Records)


Labels: Dirt Cult Records/Wanda Records
Formats: Vinyl/Digital
Release Date: 12 July 2019

Tracklist:

1. You Know I Can't Say No
2. Song For Sadie
3. Hundsgemein (Ideal Cover)

I was stood talking to a mate prior to a gig on Friday night and we were talking music, when the conversation turned to my blog and what I cover. I went along the lines of "you cover a lot of heavy shit, but you should feature more punk" or something like that. I agree, I should. Anyway, it's my last day of annual leave before I head back to work and in between scanning Discogs for some elusive gaps in my record collection, I felt the urge to write a review. Suspect Parts are a punk/power pop quartet featuring members from UK, Germany and America. They released this 7" via Dirt Cult Records and Wanda Records last year.

I’ll start this review by saying that I wrote the above intro yesterday, but never got around to completing this and I can’t be bothered thinking of a new one, so here goes. Suspect Parts play self-professed 70’s beach punk with a heavy US flair, mixed with 60’s power pop. The title-track ‘You Know I Can’t Say No’ is catchy and danceable, especially thanks to the vocal melodies and the un-fussy instrumentation. Punk and pop mix together without any form of pretence and plenty of retro appeal. 

The band’s second original on this EP is “Song For Sadie’ and it’s got more of a US Southern drawl going on amongst the band’s pop hooks. One thing’s for sure, Suspect Parts have got the whole three-minute hit thing nailed. Their songs on here are around that mark and they’re instantly hummable from start to end.

They close out their EP with a cover of ‘Hundsgemein’ by 80’s German pop band Ideal. I’m not familiar with the band but listening to the original online before listening to their version, it makes sense that they decided to cover it. The pace is slower and the German lyrics are delivered in a slightly rawer way, which at times is stark (but not because they’re harsh) as well as entertaining. 

Three songs delivered in three subtly different styles by a band made up of three nationalities. Suspect Parts are a great find and they make me nostalgic for punk that’s easygoing and sing-along in nature. Variety certainly is the spice of life. 

You can stream and download the EP below:-



If you're in the EU/UK especially, you can order a copy of the 7" from Wanda Records here - https://mailorder.wandarecords.de/.

USA/Canada orders can be placed via Dirt Cult Records here - https://dirt-cult-records.myshopify.com/.

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