Punk rock isn’t the first genre that comes to mind when you think of deeper lyrical content. That particular sound is usually about reaction and feel, most often rage or at the very least, discontent. A quick perusal of Brooklyn based Sketchy’s song titles, however show clever minds at work. Opening track “The Thinkiest Guy In Thinktown,” off of their debut full length album “I Wanted This To Go Different,” hits like prime era Replacements only with growly melodic vocals. Classic dual guitars pair Johnny Ramone hyper-speed strummed chords and hook-heavy single note riffs. “Whiskey Nostalgia” (streaming) thunders along like a college frat theme song where all the pledges have been given amped up electric guitars, after listening to hours of The Clash. “I Wrote A Suicide Note” is a quick minute and a half burst, sharing kinship with LA punk pioneers Social Distortion’s seminal debut album “Mommy’s Little Monster.” The cleverly titled “Someone Else’s Hook” succinctly references rock music’s overall recycled nature, wrapping it in a sound style reminiscent of early Weezer. For som fun and loud times, see Sketchy at The Grand Victory in Brooklyn on January 30. – Dave Cromwell
