The Sewer Cats: Obnoxious
(TNS Records)
Vinyl | CD | DL
Available 20th September here
Manchester based power duo The Sewer Cats are back with a bang, the dial is switched up and the fuzzy garage punk/riot grrrl country blues hardcore is a refreshing blast to the senses. Wayne AF Carey reviews…
The Sewer Cats are another DIY band that were recommended to me by a good friend who’s seen them live on Manchester’s underground circuit and he’s not wrong with his enthusiasm. Consisting of Cass and Josh Lilly they’re a firecracker of sonic noise. Think of The White Stripes wearing bovver boots, trying to emulate the sound I’ve described above and you sort of get the picture. Cass (drums and vocals) kindly spends the time putting together a description of each song for you lucky LTW readers…
BooHoo!: This one is a call to arms to lean in to your ‘big pussy energy’, casting off internalised misogyny in favour of embracing an obnoxious attitude that is non-compliant and defiant. You have two choices: You can either be part of the problem, or part of the solution!
A nice chugging opener with a fuzzed up riff and no nonsense vocals and a throbbing drum beat from Cass.
90 Seconds to Midnight: Written in response to the shit-storm of current world affairs and the fact that the human race seems to be ambling towards oblivion. The title of the track references the Doomsday clock that represents the likelihood of a human-made global catastrophe. The chorus of the track references a statement from the former Secretary of State for Defence, Grant Shapps, that “the pre-war era has begun”. I wrote most of the lyrics at a gig in Wigan, after someone in the crowd chatted to us about us being young enough to be called up for national service!
Another top as fuck guitar riff, a bit of The Cramps meets Hole at their best. A proper earworm that keep you excited with the angry vocals and shredding mini guitar solo.
Tell Me Something True: This one came together very quickly. I woke up with the 1st verse lyrics having a dream in which Josh wouldn’t dance with me! (I often wake up with lyrics in my head and quickly jot them down.) The rest of the song reflects the reality of relationships not always living up to expectations. I’m an all or nothing kind of person, I guess!
A tantalising piece of dirty punk country blues as I described here back in August.
Star & Garter: This track is about a gig at the Star & Garter – it’s not a dig at the pub at all, it’s a great venue. Instead, it reflects our dismay at dog-eat-dog commercial music outside our beloved DIY punk scene. We went to a friend’s gig at The Star & Garter and the sound wasn’t turned up properly, and all the room lights were put on for the support bands, with the intention of showing them up. Then the billy-big-bollocks headliners came on at the end triumphant! None of us are going to make it, so why can’t we just have fun and be respectful to each other?
Punk as fuck with screaming vocals from both Cass and Josh. As DIY as you can get. A no nonsense banger under two minutes with some great guitar sounds.
You Cannot Be Serious: I can’t elaborate more on the content, but I gave myself permission to explore more vulnerability and emotion lyrically with this one. Sitting in your feelings of vengeance can be moreish. It started its life called McEnroe – you can probably guess why!
A mellow builder with an acoustic start that builds into some great fuzz noise then slows back down and crashes in again with emotion. The longest track that boils Cass’s piss with her howling vocals! An explosive finale to this one.
Obnoxious: The title track and motto of the whole album. When we were writing, we constantly pushed to make each track ‘more obnoxious’… On this one that meant me running around the studio screaming as backing for the entire ‘chorus’! It pisses me off that even in punk music, women are expected to perform a certain way and sing sweetly. The lyrics are a response to a comment that my voice was “unlistenable” and “screechy”.
This is what an angry woman sounds like, get over it.
Another slow start full of fuzz that turns into mental psych punk that shatters the eardrums and motors along with fast as fuck pace.
Get It: This song is a scathing satirical attack on consumerism, influencer culture, and toxic pervading political ideals: that we should all aspire to chase wealth and power… trickle-down economics will take care of the rest. To hell with everyone else! It takes a quote from Molly-Mae of Love Island fame that was much commented on at the time: ‘Beyoncé has the same 24 hours in a day as we do’. This track was released as a single in
July 2023.
An older track that starts with a great melodic bass line followed by more great fuzz guitar and a rousing shouty chorus. Nothing complicated, just a great bit of modern punk.
That Night At…: This one is about a night on tour spent with a wrong-un. I felt scared that night after a person in a position of power over us had acted inappropriately. The lyrics are snippets of memories from that night, but ultimately speak about something every woman understands – the feeling of vulnerability that comes from knowing someone can overpower you, so you better suck it up and play nice for the sake of your own safety.
One of the highlights here with great lyrics and a power piece of scuzzy punk that gets your head moving with razor sharp vocals and pounding drums. You don’t want it to end as it slows down in pace yet carries on the anger.
Parasites: This is a playful song full of double-entendres. It was sparked by finding out about a parasite that you can catch from cats (Toxoplasma gondii). It lives in your brain and can make you love cats even more… We’re riddled!
This one goes into ska territory which throws a curveball at the start then crunches all over with their signature dirty scuzz punk blasting through the chorus, then a funky little guitar riff backed with some ‘woo’s’. “Parasites, give em to me!”
Lion Heart: A self-encouragement song to keep your chin up and hang on, even when everything around you seems awful. Loosely based around the Kant philosophy that ‘hope is a moral imperative’.
Another slow starter that kicks in like fuck with Cass and Josh sounding like they’re destroying their instruments physically and mentally.
Our Band Could Be Your Life: This song is the wild card of the album and is a love letter to tour life, an experience we found to be significant in our relationship. It was inspired by DIY punk legends Minutemen who weren’t afraid to show their deep affection for each other. The song title references a lyric in their track ‘History Lesson Part 2’.
The duo show their almost soft side here until Josh yet again ramps up the fuzz with a melodic guitar riff flowing throughout, joined by Cass showing a more sensitive side to her vocals for a cracking closing shot.
One of the best duos on the scene at the moment if you like something powerful with a bit of bollocks running at light speed.
Words by Wayne Carey, Reviews Editor for Louder Than War. His author profile is here
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