Life is a complex thing, or so the shandy drinkers amongst us say anyway, unless you are a (near) Glasgow pop punk band called The Kimberly Steaks and their vinyl EP “Chemical Imbalance” harks back to better times whilst demonstrating the benefits of their particular blend of gleeful musical larceny.
Guitars, as you might expect, are much to the fore in these four songs and no time is wasted in getting their message across with three of the four songs not even breaking the two minute barrier. That’s obviously ideal if you suffer from some sort of attention deficit disorder but does the compact and bijou approach to song writing do anything for your common or drunk music lover? You bet and sure enough, “Chemical Imbalance” and “Ticking Over” are likely to be found guilty of kicking your dancing feet into unconscious action but, if your brain actually needs fed, there is substance in there too with “Change Your Mind” edging The Kimberly Steaks towards social commentary. As for the maximum speed cover of “I’m Into Something Good”? Well, when you’re on a roll, why stop?
In these days of blighted by plastic pop, tired indie rock and dull Americana, The Kimberly Steaks are positively refreshing. Their short, sharp shock songs are all you need to get by.
The EP is available from Bandcamp.