Blackout – Power Grid Failure

Blackout is the debut album from Power Grid Failure, a band from Stockholm, with members from a number of other bands. The album is being released through Beat Butchers.

Power Grid Failure plays punkrock in the vein of Bad Religion, NOFX, Sum 41 and The Generators. A pretty classic sound which incorporates the best sides of the influences. I was worried when I read the press release from the label, which mentioned the influences. As soon as I hear Bad Religion I get a bit worried. Not because I think they are bad in particular, but because bands that are influenced by them often lack a bit of a personal style.

In the case of Power Grid Failure, they don’t fall directly into that pit though. The influences can be heard of course, but are more than just Bad Religion. And most of all, the band knows how to write a melodic punkrock-tune. The lyrics are solid as well, leaning to the political side in a good way. It’s well written and catchy. I do find myself pressing pause while listening however, looking up my favorites from The Generators, listening to another track on Blackout, looking up my favorite album from Sum 41 and so on. This might be a problem with me alone, but the albums remind me of so much great American (and Canadian I guess) punkrock, that I just have to go listening to it.

But that aside has some great tunes a pretty nice variation throughout. Breach of Contract is a great tune, the chorus reminding me of Blisterhead on Under the City Lights. Selling Fiction breaks up the tempo with some ska-influences, and The Parental Experience has that nice Sum 41-esque intro. But as you can tell, I just can’t stop comparing it to other bands.

There’s much to like on Blackout by Power Grid Failure. It’s music standing on the shoulders of giants, but that doesn’t take away from the stellar writing and musicianship on here. It might lack a little bit of a unique voice and style, but that’s my opinion on a lot of punkrock in English. This is a solid debut and an album I can safely recommend for fans of the bands mentioned above.