Party Scars is the second album for Lancashire band Sunken Monkey. The band formed in the early noughties, and whilst the band has changed its line-up a few times over the years it would appear that they have found a formula that works for them. The group draws influence from a range of different punk bands, from NOFX to Rise Against to Four Year Strong, but unlike most bands claiming this, their output is far closer to the punk side of things than the ‘pop-punk’. This is not to say that their music isn’t primarily beer-fuelled fun, but I would argue it is less cheesy than most modern punk bands. They also claim not to concern themselves with ‘worrying about our image’, something many pop-punk bands are guilty of. This is not intended to have a dig at pop-punk, more trying to give an idea of the character of Sunken Monkey.
Party Scars is basically a very fun album. It is based primarily on ‘anecdotes from the band’s personal lives’, with ‘short, catchy tunes’ to back it up. This is a promise the album lives up to completely. I would say the album sounds a lot like a less Celtic version of The Dropkick Murphys, with energy and grit and honest lyrics and shouty vocals. The pace remains fairly constant throughout. My personal favourites are the first two tracks, This Town’s Too Big… and That’s What She Said (‘fuck you too..’), and the track Pissing In The Wind, a song which lends quite a lot to the style of the likes of A Day To Remember through its incorporation of metal into the mix. I also think ‘Til Death Do Us Party is the perfect way to end the album. It uses acoustic guitar very much in the style of Frank Turner, sending the album off in an almost reminiscent farewell, just like the end of a party. In fact, the album is almost sculpted into the form of a party throughout: It starts hard, fast and optimistic, throughout the middle there is a blur of messy energy, and ends in a fashion fit for the end of a brilliant night.
In all, I would describe the album as a party anthem. The energy, honesty and messiness all form the ingredients for a great party-punk record. I would argue that even the faults improve the album, after all punk was never created to be perfect. The individual tracks are also incredibly catchy, with true artistic talent behind every single second of music, not just distortion and guitar so fast that you can’t hear the music. I conclude that the album is driven by the spirit of true punk, the talent of the individuals in the band and, of course, alcohol.
Nilla Reviews 