My good friend Skater Jen has an Aquabats t-shirt that I remember thinking was kinda cool. Not any more, my friend. Any one into this enough to buy it at the store needs more friends.
If I saw this band live I would dance my ass off and probably have a lot of fun, but if I have to listen to this one more time on my stereo, I will stick a hot needle in my ear.
This may sound harsh, but let me explain: the music is mostly pretty cool, pop punk/ska upbeat dancy, but the vocals and lyrics are unbearable. The singer does this overly-dramatic, campy Fred Schneider thing that drives me batty. Imagine Fred as the singer for a ska band – not a good sight, my friend. It is as if the singer is in the high school version of “Little Shop of Horrors,” and needs to show how versatile he is by utterly and completely overacting in an attempt to steal the show.
The lyrics are the same style. I will give credit for clever pop culture references, but there are enough of them to sink the Love Boat. If the ‘Bats stop by your town, go see them, it will be fun, and if you want to support the band on tour, buy the CD. Other than that, save your money or buy a Skankin’ Pickle record instead.
– Bill Barry
The Aquabats (Nitro Records)