Fear n Loathing : http://www.fearandloathingfanzine.com/record-reviews-january-june-2020.html

Kent-based band playing a melodic form of punk rock with input from styles as diverse as indie-punks Mega City Four and the Senseless Things through to harder-edged American bands like Husker Du and Moving Targets. For a three-piece, they whip-up a pretty big sound and the album gives you a real sense of a band that has a strong musical direction. They’re not afraid to vary the tempos, include vocal harmonies or add different instrumentation where it’s appropriate and the overall production is both inventive and convincing. ‘This Summer’ might be the slowest track on the album, with only acoustic guitar and keyboard accompaniment, but it stands out really well and also sets the mood perfectly for the following track, ‘Coffee in My Veins’, one of the liveliest and most instantly-likeable songs on the whole record. This is an album that draws you in from start to finish, but with repeated listens it just gets better and better. With the right radio coverage, this could prove to be a very popular album indeed. Good luck to ‘em!

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Mass Movement : http://massmovement.co.uk/tonota-80-everybodys-famous/

For one reason or another, mainly publishing deadlines and the other incredibly boring hum drum everyday minutia that fills my waking moments, this record has been sitting on my desk for a while. Sitting there, staring at me, begging to be played and this morning I finally relented and it’s been on repeat for the last, oh six hours or so. And during those six hours, I’ve been singing along and getting down with my not so bad self.  There might also have been some middle aged dad dancing going on, but as there were no witnesses, you can’t prove anything. 

To be honest, I’d never heard of these chaps before Everybody’s Famous unexpectedly turned up and it’s darn shame that the chances of actually catching them at a show in the next twelve months are probably slim to zero, as they’re almost certainly a blast live. Tonota 80 are all about massive power pop hooks and melodies and frantic, energetic delivery and without fail, every single time I play Everybody’s Famous I inevitably find myself thinking “Oh, so that’s what Snuff would sound like if they played Smiths songs…” . Don’t be like me, don’t be a moron and sit there staring at this record. Buy Everybody’s Famous, play it, sing-a-long and maybe, when no-ones watching, bust out a groovy move or two.  Go on, you know you want to…

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Thoughts Words Action : https://thoughtswordsaction.com/2020/08/23/t80ef/

Everyone’s Famous is the most advanced recording by Tonota 80, an interesting trio emanating from Kent, UK. The group published a couple of records since their formation, such as Jonesing For Chips EP in 2015 and Killer Sands And Beating Hearts in 2017. By taking a peek at the simplistic cover artwork, I would assume their music is some bland commercial alternative. The cover artwork unveils absolutely nothing, but stock photography of a television placed somewhere in a room untastefully painted in blue color. However, I decided to follow some basic rules and do not judge the book by it’s cover. Thankfully enough, I was entirely wrong.

High-quality cardboard sleeve hides a compact disc with fourteen marvelously executed melodic punk rock compositions, heavily influenced by the power-pop scene. Right with the first beats of this album, you may notice a strong resemblance with the music of the more renowned groups, such as Husker, Descendents, and Leatherface. Tonota 80 transmits delightful harmonies through recognizable dirty crunch distortion, so characteristic for British guitar amps. However, all the notes are more than hearable, and complete polyphonic symphony liberates gracious dosages of delightful moments throughout the entire record. A warm sounding bass guitar is equally hearable during the album. It supports noisy guitar maneuvers with defined basslines that are vividly demonstrating song structures. Extraordinary drumming performance accentuates all the arrangements with dynamic beats and fills, but also maintains compactness of the group.

Everyone’s Famous represents a comprehensive collection of subtly melancholic numbers, thoughtfully written and composed to fit any particular mood. These practitioners of delightful poppy driven melodic punk rock sound thought about structures and arrangements of their almost anthemic numbers that evoke both good and bad moments in life. Everyone’s Famous is a perfect soundtrack for all the seasons, and you’ll hardly find a bad song while consuming this material. The album is available thought Engineer Records, UK based record label specialized in emo, indie, alternative, melodic punk rock, and melodic hardcore music. Head over to their web store, and check out Everyone’s Famous by Tonota 80, but also the remaining portion of their impressive roster.

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Razorcake : https://razorcake.org/tonota-80-everybodys-famous-cd/

Well, well, well, this is one of those albums that comes from nowhere and which you end up falling in love with. At least that’s what happened to me. I must admit, when it dropped thorough the letterbox, I opened it and set it aside for a week or so before finally getting around to listening to it. The result was me quickly getting hooked on the late-’80s, early-’90s indie rock vibe which occasionally brought to mind Hüsker Dü as well as Moving Targets. The recording even has a quality that harkens back to those times, which adds to the quality of the release. If, like me, you enjoy music from that era—which is well written and performed, sounds good, and has strong, catchy melodies—then this trio should be for you.

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