By SARAH SHAW
Reno, Nevada’s Cobra Skulls has finally, after much anticipation, released an album of old-school punk-rock.
The band’s new LP, Agitations, was released on Fat Wreck Chords last month.
The record, which is a follow-up to January 2011’s Bringing The War Home, sees the desert punkers try a more straightforward approach to their traditional songwriting styles and methods.
Agitations is a more raw punk record which vocalist and bassist Devin Peralta calls a straightforward, concise, punk album. He also sees the songs within it all having “their own unique style and varied inspiration.”
Contrary to other Cobra Skulls’ records, which boast a more diverse exploration of music styles, Agitations comes across as more stripped down.
The record contains 13 short and relatively fast melodies.
There is also an absence of bilingual lyrics. The group, which has received recognition for their ability to write songs in Spanish, didn’t incorporate any of it into their new album.
Though there is some experimentation with “psychobilly-” sounding songs, the record stays true to the California skate punk styles of bands such as Guttermouth, NoFX, and Lagwagon.
Though fans may be nervous that the new album has strayed away from the style of previously released material,
Agitations makes up for it by remaining committed to making great music.
Peralta stays true to the familiar themes of earlier Skulls records, with songs that tell stories with a political theme, to ones about the environment or immigration. Peralta also does an acoustic track at the end of the record entitled, I
Believe, which is similar to the writing style of Matt Skiba of Alkaline Trio.
All in all Cobra Skulls has produced a great record.
Despite straying from the stereotypical norms of previous records, they’ve managed to remain consistent, writing catchy songs that tell interesting, socially relevant stories. Fans of the group need not worry about the prospect of disappointment with this record.
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