Terry Malts - Nobody Realizes This Is Nowhere (Slumberland)

Allegedly signed to Oakland-based indie label Slumberland after a lost bet with the band, San Francisco’s Terry Malts 2012 debut Killing Time was a fuzzed out punk-pop gem, all lethargic vocals and sloppy guitars. In a case of “if it aint broke don't fix it,” the band’s newest opus Nobody Realizes This is Nowhere doesn't stray too far from that debut record’s scuzzy path.

Opening with the ring of an alarm clock and the dense sheet metal guitars of ‘Two Faces’, Terry Malts’ Ramones-on-downers slacker pop punk does exactly what it says on the tin. Eleven songs of no frills, noisy punk rock that would fit perfectly between Wavves and Fidlar's carefree beach bum take on the genre. ‘Life’s a Dream’ rattles along on a riff straight out of the DC hardcore scene with Phil Benson’s Ian Curtis monotone vocal densely wrapping itself around the rumble of thick, knotty basslines and pounding drums.

‘Buy Buy Baby’ nods to 90s Lookout Records anti-heroes The Queers, The ‘1-2-3-4’ of The Ramones and drenching both influences in glassy reverb. Nobody Realizes this is Nowhere is a constant blur of short, sharp musical shots, over before you know it and with just a handful of songs exceeding two and a half minutes. The band only slows down once on the fantastic ‘Comfortably Dumb’. With the song’s gentle acoustic strum giving a false sense of a mid-album breather, the distorted bass and ear-piercing feedback drown out any chance of respite while strangely complimenting the quiet chords and turning the song into the kind of space-rock freakout that Bay Area garage rocker Ty Segall would be proud of.

A great, honest blast of no-frills punk rock. Terry Malts are just dumb, loud fun with the added bonus of being an antidote to the perfectly gelled hair and full sleeve tattoos that the term ‘Punk-Pop’ will forever bring to mind. Nobody Realizes This is Nowhere is a recommended good time.