Something Fierce - Don't Be So Cruel

Vinyl LP pressing. 2011 release, the third album from the Houston, TX upstarts. If the group's There Are No Answers perfected the Marked Men-meets-Buzzcocks brand of snappy poppy punk they'd been working on since their inception in 2005, Don't Be So Cruel finds 'em rapidly expanding outwards from that sound. While undeniably influenced by various strands of '70s punk, this record is slightly more subtle and sophisticated than mere '77-revivalists would have it. Slightly nuanced, almost understated at times, vapid party-punk this is most definitely not. Thoughtful, well written, well played songs that strike a perfect balance between fun and smart.