Heavy Male Insecurity

The follow-up to 2018s So Far So Good So Cool, Heavy Male Insecurity is the Norwegian punk outfits sixth and most satisfying effort to date. Commencing with a short burst of tinnitus-inducing feedback that quickly resolves into a two-and-a-half-minute blast of early-90s melodic punk a la Flop and Bad Religion, Modern Man elicits notes of burnt sugar, summer sweat, and stale cigarette smoke. Aptly named, the taut, ten-track set addresses toxic masculinity (I wanna get big, fu#k yeah!) and male wokeness (He enjoys baking and doesnt eat meat every day/When his heart is aching hell put it on display) with equal parts snark and sincerity. Social commentary aside, Heavy Male Insecuritys first and foremost mission is to rock your face off, which it does with extreme prejudice. The bands knack for pairing buzzsaw leads and crushing pick slides with arena-sized 70s power pop melodies is on full display. Standout cuts like White Lies, All Pain, No Gain, and Not Like the Others are as unrelenting as they are crawling with earworms, and the production is both punchy and grand, like Pup taking a stab at Badfingers No Matter What. Death by Unga Bunga have been honing their particular brand of hi-fidelity garage punk since the mid-2000s now, and while previous outings have hinted at greatness, the confectionary and streamlined Heavy Male Insecurity -- which clocks in at just over 30 minutes -- is about as close to all-killer-no-filler as it gets. ~ James Christopher Monger