Album Review by Mark Bayross
At last the Australians’ number one album gets a release in the UK, and, given the recent upsurge of rock acts in the Charts, the timing is just right. While there is nothing particularly ground breaking within its 16 (+1) tracks, the album succeeds in pressing all the right buttons.
28 Days mix hardcore and skate punk into short, sharp tunes that, in the case of SUCKER and INFORMATION OVERLOAD, boast choruses that are catchy enough to become infectious. Just see the reaction they get when played live.
From the Green Day-on-speed opener THE BIRD to the Beastie Boys-meet-Sepultura closer KILL THE FAKE, UPSTYLEDOWN surges with sun-kissed energy. You can just see our tattooed Oz cousins going nuts to this on the beach with a few tinnies.
In between all this heads-down rifferama, 28 Days also find time to allow decks-master Jedi Master Jay (who gets kinda drowned out the rest of the time, bar a few scratch n’ sample intros) to show off his skills with a couple of under-a-minute-long skits. DON’T TOUCH MY TURNTABLES is hilarious, while the sound of singer Jay Dunne leading a crowd into a chorus of “28 Days can…FUCK OFF!!” (“Time For Us To Leave”) is not an indication of a band that takes itself that seriously.
But it’s not all beer and barbies. They also unveil a hitherto unseen serious side, in the form of SONG FOR JASMINE, a heart-wrenching song written by Jay for guitarist Simon Hepburn’s daughter – “Sorry I had to go away / no please don’t misconstrue / I just hope you’ll understand one day / the hardest part was leaving you.”
The rest of the time, though, this is good old jump-around mosh material. It’s hard not to love ‘em.
