More than a Victory Lap

Tribute albums are a tricky thing. Too often, they fall into two categories, either lifeless imitations that reduce the originals to pale sketches or overly self-indulgent reinventions that forget why the songs mattered in the first place. How To Take A Couple O’ Victory Laps avoids both pitfalls. This double CD release, 32 covers spread across one electric disc and one largely acoustic, celebrates Propagandhi’s music, and explains their tremendous influence on punk, politics, and culture. Propagandhi has been tearing through assumptions and systems since 1986, carving out a path that fused melodic punk rock with thrash, hardcore, and an unquestionably radical worldview. Only a few bands combined such technical precision with ideological weight. They are one of those rare acts that fans love not just for what they play, but for what they stand for. Anti-fascist, animal-friendly, feminist, queer-positive, uncompromising, their catalogue is a manifesto and impressive discography at the same time. That weight could crush a tribute project. Instead, it seems to have energised it.

The first disc offers the most immediate thrill. Bands from across the spectrum dive into Propagandhi’s repertoire with guitars cranked and hearts wide open. These aren’t museum pieces being dusted off, but rallying cries brought into the present. The second disc, the acoustic side, is where the project truly distinguishes itself. Stripping back the distortion exposes the bones of Propagandhi’s songwriting. What might surprise casual listeners is just how well these songs hold up without volume and speed. When reduced to strings, voices, and minimal percussion, the melodies truly shine, and the lyrics cut even deeper. Taken together, the two discs work as a dialogue. One emphasizes the explosive, anthemic power that has made Propagandhi one of the most consistent forces on the punk rock scene today, while the other highlights their songwriting depth, their ability to marry political commentary with hooks that lodge themselves in the mind. This duality reflects Propagandhi themselves, a band that has always refused to settle into a single mould, unafraid to shift, expand, and sharpen their message without losing their core. You can hear the gratitude in the way these artists and bands play, not slavish imitation, but an embrace of what the songs meant to them, and what they still mean today. In that sense, the album becomes less about Propagandhi as untouchable icons and more about them as catalysts, or sparks that continue to set fires decades on.

It’s also worth noting the connection to Greg Soden’s Unscripted Moments: Conversations with Propagandhi, the book that this release accompanies. That project, built on years of interviews, podcasts, and dialogue, digs deep into the humanity and history of the band. The tribute album feels like the perfect companion, while the book gives us stories and reflections, the double-CD provides the echo, the reverberation of Propagandhi’s influence across a wide field of musicians. Together, they form a kind of living archive. These songs were born out of specific struggles and contexts, late Cold War politics, the rise of neoliberalism, the fights over animal rights, feminism, and queerness in the punk community, but they refuse to age. Their importance and bite remain intact, and this collection of covers proves that these songs still breathe, matter, and demand attention. How To Take A Couple O’ Victory Laps is more than a victory lap. It’s a passing of the torch, proof that Propagandhi’s legacy is not a closed book but an open invitation to keep running. Head to Engineer Records for more information about ordering this gem.

https://thoughtswordsaction.com/2025/09/02/v-a-how-to-take-a-couple-o-victory-laps-cd-engineer-records/

You can pick a copy of the ‘How to take a couple o’ victory laps – celebrating 40 years of Propagandhi’ double CD from Engineer Records or get yours with the new ‘Unscripted Moments: Conversations with Propagandhi’ book from Earth Island Books.