slovenian (b)racket
Hailing from Kranj, Slovenia, THE MOR(R)ONS has existed in its current form since 2005. The aptly-titled Well Kept Secret is their 4th full-length album, “…approached in a completely DIY manner. From preproduction, recording, mixing and mastering, video & photo shoots – everything was done with little to no professional help.”
At a little over a minute long, the speedy, fun opener Sizphilis reveals that these guys clearly grew up on NOFX. See also the addictive Dealers‘ tidy guitar twiddles nestled amid changes of pace, and the jokey intro of Intentions, sure to appeal to fans of the older Fat Wreck releases. This nodding in the direction of Fat Mike’s crew culminates in Porn with its ominous bass intro, rock guitar soloing, pick slides, and tempo changes – they even mention the band in the lyrics. Elsewhere, they sound a little more serious with the pop-punk hooks of Crossroads‘ viby, chiming guitars, and This Too Shall Pass. There are cheeky rock moments on the insistent The Little Guy, the fast, skate punk of Smile, and the chunky Cenosillicaphobia (fear of an empty beer glass. No, really), a very cool, female-sung piano ballad serving as an intro to the latter. Make It Count is a sub-one-minute, RANDY-like blaster, the traditional pop-punk of Fairplay is serviceable enough, and the catchy Elephant has a great moment when the band sing the chorus alone. The fake ad voiceover and juicy soloing of Visualizer sees the album finish on a high.
Goofy skate punk collides with pop punk melodicism on an album as much in thrall to Sweden’s RANDY as it is to NOFX. As far as this reviewer is concerned, RANDY’s The Rest Is Silence is a stone-cold classic anyway, so I’m down with all that. A solid listen.
Released June 2nd 2024
https://themorrons.bandcamp.com/album/well-kept-secret
PERSONAL PUNK 