Every time I’m convinced there’s no more good punk left, an act like Oakland’s Blues Lawyer pops up to remind me I couldn’t be more wrong. Their debut LP Guess Work is a stunning exercise in brevity, filled with tongue-in-cheek lo-fi tracks that hark right back to the ‘70s. None of the members are interested in attempting to impress you (or waste any of your time) with overwrought guitar solos or steep buildups. They’re only interested in making instant classics, and they do so in two minutes or less. They said it best themselves on the punk puppy love anthem “Waste” (streaming below), where the chorus declares “I don’t want to waste time / I want to waste with you.” Well, we want to waste with you, too. – Lilly Milman
