Features

With over three decades of history behind it, Fat Wreck Chords has built one of the most iconic catalogs in punk rock. So iconic that Hopeless Records wanted to buy it. From classics like NOFX' Punk in Drublic and Lagwagon's Let’s Talk About Feelings to game-changers like Strung Out's Suburban Teenage Wasteland Blues and Good Riddance's Ballads From The Revolution, the label consistently delivered records that helped define punk rock since the 90ies.

Inevitably some gems slip through the cracks along the way. These records might not show up on every “best of” list, but they hold up just as well (and sometimes better) than the ones everyone talks about. Here's our list of ten albums (in no particular order) that could have done with a bit more love when they were released.

toyGuitar - In This Mess (2015)

toyGuitar is what happens when One Man Army veterans Jack Dalrymple and Brandon Pollack get together with Swingin’ Utters’ Miles Peck. The result? A garage-y punk rock ‘n roll album that does it all. It winks at Bowie in opening track ‘Human Hyenas’ , out-strokes the Strokes in ‘When It Was Over,’ and blends in elements of surf, 60’s soul and power pop just for the hell of it.

'In This Mess' is a musical rollercoaster where each track offers something different, yet somehow it all works together. Following their debut EP, ‘In This Mess’ solidified ToyGuitar's status as a band to watch except… well, they called it a day somewhere after the follow-up release, 2016’s ‘Move Like A Ghost’ EP. Damn shame!

Western Addiction - Cognicide (2005)

Started during office hours by four Fat Wreck employees, Western Addiction ditch the desk jobs on ‘Cognicide’ and burn through 12 songs in just over 20 minutes. Instead of firing them for rehearsing on Fat Wreck’s dime, Fat Mike released the album and called it one of the best hardcore albums he’s ever heard. Is it? Possibly. ‘Cognicide’ sure  is one hell of a throwback to 80’s hardcore. They even have a song ‘The Church of Black Flag’ and it rips.

Cokie The Clown - You’re Welcome (2019)

Haha, just kidding.

Only Crime - Virulence (2007)

The term supergroup gets tossed around mighty fast nowadays, but  when Good Riddance’s Russ Rankin, Descendents/ALL/Black Flag’s Bill Stevenson, Bane/Converge’s Aaron Dalbec along with the Blair brothers from Hagfish are in a band, you bet your ass you can call it a supergroup. Even if they probably wouldn’t use that word themselveS.  ‘Virulence’ was Only Crime’s second full-length and it was even better than predecessor ‘To The Nines’. It’s a dozen tracks worth of hardcore punk with plenty of melody to soothe even the toughest hardcore kids, yet somehow it didn’t get the love it deserves. And - let’s be honest -  at the end of the day, even tough hardcore kids want love.

Zero Down - With A Lifetime To Pay (2001)

Initially called Double Down, Zero Down was started by Jim Cherry (Strung Out, Pulley), Milo Todesco (Down By Law) and John McCree (War Called Peace). They later added a fourth member in the form of ex-Lagwagon guitarist Shawn Dewey so they could play cards. It also helped make their melodic skate punk shine even brighter.

Yes, the album artwork looks horrible and not in a ‘so bad it’s good’ kinda way. But the songs are pretty friggin’ awesome.  Recorded with producer Ryan Greene and engineer Adam Krammer, "With A Lifetime To Pay" is So-Cal skate-punk done right. Another album was planned, but unfortunately never recorded following Cherry’s death on July 7, 2002 as a result of a lifelong heart condition.

Consumed - Hit For Six (1999)

Following their 1998 Fat Wreck debut that is the ‘Breakfast At Pappa’s’ EP, UK band Consumed returned with the cricket-referencing ‘Hit For Six’.  These guys are melodic as hell, but also work a ton of metal influences into their music. One minute they sound like the fish and chips-bred answer to Pennywise (‘Something To Do’, ‘Start Living’) , the next they bang out lightning-fast skatepunk reminiscent of the Satanic Surfers and No Fun At All on ‘Promoter Head’. And even when they try their hand at a sweet song with ‘Wake Up With A Smile’, they still sound more like they will kick your ass if you look at them the wrong way, rather than  getting all lovey-dovey.

Somewhere after the release of ‘Hit For Six’, half the band left to pursue other goals. They were replaced and Consumed would go on to release the even more metal-influenced‘Pistols At Dawn’ on Golf Records and BYO Records in 2002 before breaking up a year later. They reformed in 2015, released a new EP through SBÄM Records and Umlaut Records and as far as I can tell, are still active to this day.

Guns N’ Wankers - For Dancing And Listening (1994)

While it could also function as Texas’ state slogan, Guns N’ Wankers was the name of a shortlived UK band. Following the dissolution of Snuff in 1991 (also the year in which all three members of the band tried out for the position of Leatherface’s new bassist), Guns N’ Wankers was started by Snuff’s Duncan Redmonds along with The Wildhearts’ Pat Walters and Joolz Dean. The band put out three EP’s, only two of which were later bundled and released by Fat Wreck Chords as ‘For Dancing And Listening’. 

On the album, the trio burns through eight tracks in just over 20 minutes and even though it sounds like Snuff, smells like Snuff and walks like Snuff, ‘For Dancing And Listening’ didn’t get the same recognition as say, ‘Demmamussabebonk’ or ‘There’s A Lot Of It About’. Which is probably why Redmonds diverted his attention back to Snuff not too long after.

Love Equals Death - Nightmerica (2006)

Back when this album came out, it caught some flack because it was seen as Fat Wreck’s attempt to jump on the goth/emo bandwagon started by My Chemical Romance. Mostly from elitist edgelords in the Punknews comments section who hated everything that came out. So maybe take it with a grain of salt. If anything, Love Equals Death’s catchy, slightly gothy punk rock with occasional forays into melodic hardcore punk made me think of pre ‘Sing The Sorrow’ era AFI. Nothing wrong with that.  

Sure, not every single song on ‘Nightmerica’ is great. The ballad that is closing track ‘Truth Has Failed’ is major yikes. But there is plenty of goodness to be found in the one-two punch of ‘Bombs Over Brooklyn’ and ‘When We Fall,’ which is one helluva way to start an album. ‘Black Rain’seems to act like the band’s counterpart to Billy Idol’s ‘White Wedding’ and it works better than expected. And ‘Pray For Me’ manages to pack Morrissey-like amounts of pathos and totally gets away with it.

Makewar - Get It Together (2019)

One of the zillion bands that started on Red Scare Records before moving on to Fat Wreck, Makewar sure as shit got it together on her Fat Wreck debut. ‘Get It Together’ has it all, right down to songs sung in Spanish. If anyone knows why these guys aren’t bigger, please let me know.

None More Black - This Is Satire (2006)

Is it hardcore? Is it punk rock? No, this is satire. Even though 2003’s ‘File Under Black’ was already very solid, None More Black took things to the next level on their second full-length for Fat Wreck. Fronted by Kid Dynamite’s Jason Shevchuk, None More Black did their own thing and sped off on their own trail of awesome weirdness.

I’m actually not sure if you can call this one underrated. It definitely got a lot of attention when it came out. But did None More Black become as big as they should have? Not really. That may be the band’s own doing though. Going on a hiatus just when things are looking like they’ll take off, will do that.

Sundowner - Neon Fiction (2013)

Chris McCaughan may be better known as one-third of The Lawrence Arms, but Neon Fiction, his third and best album under the Sundowner moniker, proves he's just as effective with an acoustic guitar and a shot of melancholy. Released back in 2013, this one is a quiet gem in the label’s catalog. Think late-night city walks, rainy window reflections, and the warmth of a good memory. See? Just thinking about it already has me waxing poetically. What ‘Neon Fiction’ lacks  in volume, it more thank makes up in heart. Personal, raw, and fiercely honest are just a couple of words that come to mind.