A Rambunctious Punk EP from Afterbirth Cartoons
- BuzzSlayers
- 1 hour ago
- 6 min read
A thrashy new EP release from Afterbirth Cartoons delivers a punk rock Soiree that edges on elements of garage, riot rock, and plenty more, all infused with a righteous and thriving energy that hits hard and with a gritty sound and attitude that you can't turn away from.
Listening to this EP gives you the feeling of seeing the band live. It's as if they recorded the entire thing live on the floor, in one room. It feels like everyone is feeding off of each other's energies the entire time, resulting in this bombastic and endlessly fun, semi-theatrical and fuzz-toned punch that doesn't let up.
The EP is dubbed TV Talk Show All-Stars, and the intro to the record gives you a whimsical breakdown of this conceptual TV talk show, sort of getting you ready for the topics of discussion throughout the tracks.
This opens right into the first full track, "Fucked Up Shit", and if you think that's a bit of an intense title, wait till you hear the song.
This one wastes absolutely no time at all, giving you thrashy, heavy-handed riffs, immense guitar tone, sonically driving approach, and classic punk rock energy.
The drums are absolutely slamming and definitely give the band a lot of liveliness. I feel like the rest of the band has a fun time pushing off the energy that the drummer is delivering.
You get some fun experimentation on some of the guitar tones as they add a little bit of phaser effect while those drums just destroy everything, and the vocals are the part that really give a little bit of an animated approach, belting out super fast lyrics in melodic style, creating a bit of catchiness in the songs over time.
This song alone hits as a sucker punch to the gut and sort of sets you up for what you're in for in terms of the rest of the release.
"Threeway" follows suit and a certain way, giving you bouncy rhythms, colorful riffs, a gritty edge, and a sort of Swing feel, once again combined with a brutal force in terms of energy, and you're really able to feel that synergism between the players.
This record is right in your face, has no problem with saying what it wants, and doing it with a flavorful, fun, but still somewhat aggressive approach that beckons all kinds of genres under the punk umbrella, but for me, make me think of a combination of classic, mid-80s punk rock, along with some of that riot rock we saw in the early 90s.
The riot rock aspect comes mostly from greediness and a sort of rambunctious approach; the punk rock comes from pretty much the rest of it.
The record closes with "DP Riverwater", which is probably the catchiest track, with a fun chant-along-style, fists-in-the-air chorus that really gets drilled into your brain to the point where, after it's over, you still have it bouncing around in there for a while.
The full EP is over and under 8 minutes, once again, showcasing true classic punk rock fashion. But it all hits like whiplash.
You can tell this man had an absolute blast recording it, but once again, when you listen to the record, it just makes you want to see them perform it all live, in your face.
If they can capture this kind of energy so well on record, then seeing them live must be an absolute face-melter. This is what I would expect from a band like Afterbirth Cartoons.
Now, if you're not too familiar with this band as of yet, then this is a great record to introduce you to, but I also suggest taking a deep dive into their back catalog, as they have massive amounts of great releases, including full albums, EPs, acoustic sessions, skits, and plenty more that really give you an even better example of how the band works.
You can hear some of these songs on previous releases in different versions, and this is like a best-of EP, in a sense.
At least that's what I picked up from it, but I could be wrong in terms of how I interpreted it.
However, after listening to this EP and more, I know I wanted to talk with the band to find out where this actually did come from, what may be coming up next, and where they pull their influences from.
So, while you listen to this record, have a read through of our interview with Afterbirth Cartoons below.
Remember where you heard it first.
Thanks so much for taking the time! Let's jump right into TV Talk Show All-Stars! This had such a gritty, garage punk approach and was super fun, laced with pop undertones!
Where did this record come from and what was it about?
TV Talkshow All-Stars is our first compilation EP consisting of songs and skits from each of our first three albums. We put it together because when we perform we often put them all together on our setlists and wanted to give our fans something special rather than just putting out a single. It is supposed to give the feeling of watching nonsense daytime talk shows.
I hear a few different styles on this EP. Who are some of your biggest musical influences?
Ohhhh that’s tough to pinpoint. We take our inspirations from all kinds of places, but I’d say as a band our biggest influence would be the sardonic humor of Dead Kennedys and Devo, the catchiness of The Clash and The Velvet Undergound, the rage of System of a Down and Rage Against the Machine, and our desire to strip songs down to their bones comes from Nirvana. But we are also inspired by a lot indie bands that we perform with and meet on the road. Bands like Okinawa Plane Crash, Lazer Beam, Junk Drawer, Snail-Mate, The Working People, Dry Ice, DadaDoh & The P.O.C., and so many others have inspired us in one way or another.
Are you performing live right now?
Yes, we will be on tour in the Midwest this May. We will be stopping in Minneapolis at Underground Music on May 14th, Milwaukee at Linneman’s on May 16th, Chicago at Reed’s Local on May 21st, and Port Huron Schwonk Soundstead on May 24th. Then we will be back home to Phoenix play a show in June. After that we will be taking a break from shows to hopefully finish writing our next album and then will Head up and down the West Coast again in the fall.
How did this all start for you as a band?
Well the band started in 2020 when we released our first demo EP 1939. We (Alvah and G) had been playing together busking and singing protest songs together, but started writing out own music. We recruited our first drummer Jacob and recorded Sick Day in 2021 and started touring shortly after that. Shortly after that we got our first break when we were asked to open for Agent Orange at The Whisky A Go Go. Jacob left the band in 2022 and we took some time off to write Fire Flower. Then Mathaniel joined the band in 2022 and it’s been the three of us ever since.
Did you work with a producer on this EP, or was this all you?
Since this EP is a compilation EP we actually worked with several people for this. The intro was recorded at Inner Skies Studios in Phoenix and was mixed and mastered by Alex Reverberi. The other three were recorded at Audio Confusion Studios in Mesa. Fucked Up Shit and Threeway were mixed and mastered by Jalipaz and DP River Water was mixed and mastered by Alex Reverberi.
Did you record this at a big studio, or was it more of a home setup?
These songs were all recorded in independent recording studios, mainly Audio Confusion Studios in Mesa.
What's next for you? Working on more new releases?
Yes, we are working on our fourth album right now. It will be heavier than our last record but that’s all we can share with you at the moment. But if readers come and check out one of our upcoming shows they can hear us play around with some of the new songs. We also have a single version of Sasquatchland which is slightly different from the album version which will be coming out in mid-May with Gaslit as its b-side. Finally, we are compiling live recordings from different shows and are planning on putting out a live album once we are satisfied with the collection.
What kind of advice would you give to other up and coming bands or artists trying to get heard?
Ohhhh it seems to change every day. Sometimes it seems like there is no rhyme or reason. But, the best advice we can give to up and coming bands is to keep playing shows. Play outside of your home town. And when you play shows be professional. Arrive on time for load in, stay for the whole show (don’t jet after your set and tell your fans to stay, too), introduce yourselves to the other bands, the sound person, the person running the show, the door person, and (if they aren’t busy) the servers and bartenders. It goes a long way and when you make a good impression on these people (and you rock their faces off) they are more likely to share your music with their friends and you will gain actual listeners.
What would you say people can expect to hear on this EP?
A sardonic take on I trashy talk shows full of filthy guitar tones, funky grooves from the rhythm section, and some catchy hooks that will stay stuck in your head for weeks.
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