Fake Names—guitarists Brian Baker (Minor Threat, Dag Nasty, Bad Religion) and Michael Hampton (S.O.A., Embrace, The Faith), vocalist Dennis Lyxzén (Refused, INVSN), bassist Johnny Temple (Girls Against Boys, Soulside), and new drummer Mario Rubalcaba (Rocket From The Crypt, Off!)—are back with their third album, Punk Ruins.
Recorded in just five days at Chicago’s Electrical Audio with producer Matthew Barnhardt (Superchunk, Bob Mould), these songs were originally intended to just be demos. But the band was so thrilled with what they heard that the raw recordings ultimately became the final product. I guess that’s what decades of collective experience will get you.
If you think you have Fake Names figured out based on their first two albums, think again. Punk Ruins is more melodic – downright catchy even – with a hellbent determination to fuse a wider array of influences. You’ll hear classic D.C. post-hardcore on the title track, while “Diamond Buzz” is driven forward by a hypnotic bassline while The Cure comes looking around the corner. Elsewhere, opener “Until It’s Normal” is pure power-pop perfection, and the outro of “Cover The Distance” wouldn’t look out of place on an ’80s rock record.
The press sheet pitches this record for fans of both Minor Threat and the Marked Men. As strange as that juxtaposition sounds on paper, it makes complete sense once you dig into Punk Ruins. It’s an exciting new chapter from a band whose members have absolutely nothing left to prove, yet keep delivering anyway.
