…Rocks – Boogie Hammer

Boogie Hammer, the rock-‘n’-roll band out of the capital of Austria, has been pretty productive the last years. No full lengths but a steady supply of EPs is being delivered, and …Rocks is the latest one. I didn’t really get stuck that much into their previous release, Search and Nestroy, but listening to this EP they’ve really struck rock-‘n’-roll gold. Boogie Hammer are not inventing the wheel on here, but they are building on a true and tested formula. It’s almost impossible not to get energized and carried away by this.

The sound is very much akin to the Accidents, which is the band that introduced me to the more rock-‘n’-roll side of music. The likeness is not surprising considering Boogie Hammer is 30 percent of the Accidents, which results in about 80 percent of the Accidents musical style. A bit less punk, a bit more polished rock-‘n’-roll, and definitively music that stands on its own two feet. But if you liked the before mentioned band, you’ll probably enjoy this, a lot.

Lyrically it sticks with the more typical rock-‘n’-roll themes, so don’t expect anything too serious. And that’s part of why I like this so much. It’s carefree, catchy, uptempo and a nice break from all the seriousness and bad things going on out there. The production quality has gone up a bit since the last EP, and this sounds fuller and bit more polished in the good kind of way. Don’t get me wrong, it still has that nice sound that is needed for this kind of music, but without sounding too thin or shrill. There’s no skipping songs on this one, all four tracks deliver the same kind of catchiness and energy, and in my ears this is the best EP so far from these guys.

…Rocks is a ten minute break from the burdens of life and a chance to tap your feet, play some airdrums or whatever you like to do when you’re rocking about. A step up from the last EP in my ears, perhaps not that musically original but that was never the goal here. Boogie Hammer just seem to want to create some fun-loving rocking times, and that goal is certainly fulfilled on this one.