The blistering single “Going on a Trip” acts as a thesis statement for Ellen and the Degenerates. Dizzying riffs and hyperactive snares propel the song forward without a sense of direction and without care. It’s a low-fi and gnarly punk journey describing a road-trip gone wrong when an exit is missed and a fight breaks out between driver and passenger. It’s a non-stop barrage of energy that weaves between angst and rage as its modes of discourse. While the band promotes itself as “teen angst” and “pop punk”, it would be foolish to diminish their ferocity to something as quaint as teen angst. “Going on a Trip” is a twisted punk song that ends with heavy breathing, mirroring what every listener feels after first experiencing their music. Ellen and the Degenerates will be performing their hellish brand of modded punk at Elsewhere on June 17. You can stream their 2017 Herb Alert EP below. -Tucker Pennington
