Give ’em hell, kid
RAD SKULLS – See You In Hell, Poser – album review (Personal Punk)
The speedy, melodic punk of opener 1,2,3 Kid arrives with a powerful crunch, pick slides and backing harmonies, shaking you from your torpor. They Seem Cool is inventive, morish, handclaps ‘n all, but it’s on Dotted Lines where the band really bang their gong. The confident, clean vocals wander off the range a little, and to great effect; this guy clearly goes where the instinct takes him. Those vocals positively soar on 6:05 GMT, holding the notes even as they have an addictive, halting quality, gang vocals placed where you least expect them. The more traditional melodics of Bronko are all but saved by those vocals, while on Stories, they get a little more stressed out and, coupled with plenty of backing harmonies, just feels totally fresh. Buffalo Bill features what can only be described as a triumphant riff, the second half morphing into a completely different song, while Harley belies its roots as a speedy, melodic punker with a little guitar line here, a backing vocal there, those strong vocals tying it all together. Vulgar Display Of Mower (ha!) is solid ‘n crunchy while I Think You’re Onto Something‘s hardcore bass intro ushers in what is, by now, a singular melodic punk sound, slowing down for a beautifully harmonic denouement.
At surface level, RAD SKULLS deal in a potentially generic style of melodic punk rock. What they do with it though, now that’s the thing. Personality ticks, sure, but ultimately, a strong, confident vocalist unafraid to wander from the playbook, backed by a motherfucker of a solid band, cements this as a killer listen.
Released September 18th 2026 by Engineer, Sell The Heart, Scene Police, Waterslide and High End Denim on vinyl, CD and digital.
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