Music Review: The Zits - "Breakout EP"

I'm a fan of all things fast, riff heavy and straight to the point. Bands like early Queers and Screeching Weasel were perfect examples of this style of punk rock. And those bands influenced a whole new generation of new bands. One of those bands is The Zits. Straight out of the basement of Denton, MG comes the bands latest release, the "Breakout EP". Clever title if I do say so myself. But it's also a solid record as dark and dingy as crawl space in your attic.

The 4 tracks on "Breakout" are meat and potatoes punk rock. Strong on harmony vocals with thick riffs and a dirty back beat. The production is a little less than desirable. But it's punk rock, so who cares. Kicking things off is "Bloody Knuckles In Loserville". It's got the major opening riff in place as well as the 4 chord structure you'd expect from students of the Joe King school of punk rock. "Teenage Fatass" relies more on speed than it does on social commentary about obese teens in the United States. But it's a fun track and great for starting a pit of your own. Short and sweet, you can't beat it.

The Zits if the creation of Heath Benson. One man waging war on all things pop and pretty. He's single handedly bringing back the ugliness of DIY punk music. And it's working out well for him. Benson's got a way of writing great old school punk that's part hardcore and part garage rock. He knows what he wants and he's not gonna let anyone get in his way of his vision. "Choking On The System" is proof in the pudding. With a great beat, fuzzed out guitars, lots of pick slides and great harmony vocals, it's a real stand out track. I like this EP. It reminds me of how great things were back in the day when I was younger. And it also shows me how things can be again if handled the right way. Let's put the music back in the hands of the young who are willing to do it themselves and release it independently. Fuck big lables and glossy production. Sure, that may be fine and dandy for some bands. But it's not for everyone. The Zits are doing it their way. And hey, if they keep putting out music like Breakout, more power to em!

4 / 5 stars