Milwaukee Artist of the Week – 3/27/15 – Sin Bad
This week’s Milwaukee Artist of the Week is Sin Bad, a garage/pop punk hybrid with an infectious sound. I first found out about the band on a recent, impromptu trip to the Cactus Club, on a night the group took the stage. Within a few minutes, I was smiling as I saw a band that embodied much of what pop punk is supposed to be; catchy melodies with the sting and energy of punk rock. Sin Bad is all of that, both live, and on their debut EP.
Their EP has all the makings of a garage pop masterpiece, from start to finish. The band packs all of their skills into short, innocent songs that pack a punch. Things get rolling with “Stranger Danger”, and right from the start you know what you’re getting into. The song features a drudging, punk bass line with glistening guitar parts over the top and dueling vocals. “Scarred” follows, with a bouncy, fun sound that is inescapable. Less than five minutes into the demo, and you’ve got two songs down, and you definitely want more.
Things get even more playful on the intro to “Anxiety”, but they pick up literally seconds later. “Debt” is a little bit more mellow, but emphasis on the “little bit”. Sin Bad never lose the fun aspect to their sound throughout the demo. “Sleeve” is the first time that the group tops three minutes in a song, and they barely do so on their fifth song of seven. That’s what great, though; these are short bursts of energy that capture your attention from start to finish. A lot of bands would hit spots where their sound gets dull by trying to stick to that motif, but Sin Bad capture that feel perfectly.
The group dabbles with emo on “Make It Through”, but not so much that it deviates from the release. There’s still the doubling vocals and head-nodding pace that keep things going in the same direction. Things close out with “Body Snatchers”, another gritty yet fast track that does a solid job of finishing the record. The group knocks out 7 tracks in under 20 minutes, but you’ll be singing them all day.
This demo is a great blend of lo-fi garage rock and upbeat pop punk. It reminds me particularly of the things that made bands on Drive-Thru Records so great; punk rock energy with melodies that made songs earworms. That’s what Sin Bad brings to the table. According to the group’s Bandcamp page, they’re working on even more material to be released in the near future, and we can expect more of this same energy and melodic angst.
