Rawk On

Not wanting to go down as just another So-Cal garage punk group, together PANGEA tack the familiar trappings of the genre and marry it with the muscle and mania of grunge, creating a sonic beast on a mission to drink, party and feel like crap about it the next morning. Whereas FIDLAR shamelessly celebrated their (probably) tongue in cheek excess for fun‰’s sake, together PANGEA treats rock and roll as the solution and cause of all of life‰’s problems; the first three tracks are fun, but they mask the underlying feelings of social anxiety and sexual frustration that the group tries to exercise through loud guitars. This should suck, and some of the lyrics are clearly ripped from the diary pages/first drafts, but the music is so enthralling it really doesn‰’t matter. The band shows some versatility too, throwing in some acoustic guitars on the more “melodic‰” tracks like the harmonica accompanied title track. The second half of the record drags a little bit by virtue of the songs being slower, but once it hits the hypnotic final track, Badillac has already revealed itself to be a visceral roller coaster ride, not unlike American Hustle. It may not be deep, the script/lyrics are sometimes half-baked, but dammit, it just feels so good.

RIYL: FIDLAR, Cheap Time, The Black Lips
Recommended: 1-5, 12