When the band’s album cover spoofs Green Day’s Nimrod, it’s reasonable to expect a Green Day clone, right? I think so. That’s immediately what I thought after seeing the cover of Sick Year, Bro! from Ontario punk trio Block Parent. Since I love older Green Day, I told myself it would’ve been totally fine if that’s what I was getting myself into.
As soon as the first little bit of “Sight For Pink Eyes” plays, I immediately realized that wasn’t what I was getting at all. Instead of a Nimrod-era Green Day clone, Block Parent offers up a fast-paced punk album that provides nods to the heavier side of ’90s punk without feeling like a nostalgia act or copycat.
While listening to each track on the album, I was immediately reminded of bands like US Bombs, Falling Sickness, Guttermouth, and Chocking Victim. There’s a visceral tone to everything on Sick Year, Bro! Each song is played fast and loose, but without sounding like a giant mess. The melody and musicianship is there, especially on a song like “Helluva Bad Dip,” but there’s a rough edge around each track that gives the music more character.
The album is ten tracks long and clocks in at just under a half an hour.
There’s a lot of sonic fury held within that 30 minutes though.
The machine gun drumming, high speed guitar work, and pounding bass lines are accentuated by gritty and guttural vocals. The trio have put together a great skate punk album. It will easily fit right in with some of your favorite punk albums from the mid ’90s. Honestly, at times I even got some Cheshire Cat-era Blink 182 vibes!
In a time when punk music has strayed from its roots, it’s nice to discover a band who doesn’t try to reinvent the wheel. Block Parent knows who they are and what they want to sound like, and don’t stray too far from it. Sick Year, Bro! has every element you love about skate punk music in the 1990s. Block Parent are students of the game and have mastered it well. Fast, energetic, down and dirty punk rock with a hint of smart ass and humor. What more could you want?