So, what do you know about Romoland? No, this is not a reference to some fictional town that is lorded over by the retired and mediocre Dallas Cowboys quarterback. When people think of California, they usually think of Los Angeles , San Francisco, and maybe San Diego once in a while. “Are you headed out to vacation in Romoland this summer?”…said no one ever! That’s because Romoland is a tiny town with a population I might be able to count on one hand. It’s part of Riverside county and incorporated into the city of Menifee. Essentially, it’s part of the wasteland between San Diego and LA that everyone from San Diego tends to roll into one incorrect blanket to include Temecula and Murrieta. The only reason they are vaguely familiar with the area is because they lost a paycheck once at Pechanga Casino before scurrying back to Barona or Viejas. Getting to my point, it is the perfect breeding ground for the irreverent and comedic punk rock stylings of Out to Lunch who are just releasing a brand new album titled Put Me Away.
The digital song files were sent my way long before the release date of the album, and consequently the whole thing was a hot mess with respect to none of the tracks having any meta data. Without referencing a track listing that now exists after-the-fact online, I don’t have a clue what any of the song titles are beyond a best guess based on the lyrics, nor do I know what order the songs appear on the album. While that sort of thing tends to annoy me endlessly, what I do know is that these tunes are definitely worth a listen for punk rock fans. The whole batch of tracks took me back to a mindset that I think punk rockers (particularly the musicians) forget about sometimes. Somewhere along the line, the punk ethos of being progressive most certainly spilled over into the complexity of the song structures. Don’t get me wrong…for the most part, I agree with the notion as being “a good thing”. However, I also like to think that the idea behind punk was initially not entirely centered on being progressive. Maybe it was, in part, also about simply not giving a $hyt if the music doesn’t sound polished up and ready for corporate radio play. Perhaps that in itself is a type of progressiveness and I am making a pointless distinction, but somehow, I doubt the Sex Pistols viewed their musical arrangements as progressive.
A carefree attitude is what Out to Lunch brings to the table and it’s a great reminder of an earlier time. Do you remember the second wave of punk when compilations swirled around everywhere and the covers had images of graffiti and gutter punks getting wasted and pi$$ing in the snow? Well I remember that time and the recollections I have are quite fond! We should thank the band for keeping that spirit alive! Final note: Do not conjure any preconceptions that these guys can’t play their instruments based on how I framed the band as being carefree. Underneath an off-pitch and sketchy delivery of deviant lead vocals are backing tracks that, while not recorded at Abbey Road, are technically played as well as most any other band in the genre. Out to Lunch just doesn’t care what you or I think! Check ‘em out at their CD release show tomorrow night!
3.25 out of 5 SDP Skullz!
Artist: Out to Lunch
Album: Put me Away
Release Date: September 1st, 2017
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Reviewed by Todd Dulawan
