Potty Mouth Society – S/T / 2005 Beer Metal / 14 Tracks / http://www.myspace.com/pottymouthsociety / http://www.beermetalrecords.com / Reviewed 30 October 2005

“Perfect” starts out Potty Mouth Society’s album, and the track really recalls both Screeching Weasel and The Pissants. The recording is not as perfect as the former, but there is no lack of intensity in each of Potty Mouth Society’s track. With tracks that average between one and two minutes, an individual cannot get bored with Potty Mouth Society, especially when tracks like “Day Late” look back to the earliest days of the Descendents for primary influence. Further tracks like “Pornographic TV” mix together “TV Party”-era Black Flag with the earliest days of Green Day to have a hard-edged but pop-influenced track. “Cocaine Cowboy”, while having its own distinct style really comes forth with the same sort of acerbic wit that really was the domain of the Dead Kennedys.

What is common throughout the entirety of this album is the fact that Potty Mouth Society always comes forth with the same intensity and catchiness. The slower tempo of the beginning of “Lesbian/Scampaign” is almost unlistenable as it has none of the catchy punk/country blend that was present during “Drag King Bar” or Green Day’s “Dominated Love Slave”. Luckily enough, the break-in to a breakneck tempo that will get everyone singing makes this track a qualified success (qualified in the sense that it may not hurt to skip through the first minute or so). “Sappy” brings the general sound back to the disc; the guitar riffs present on the track really have a different sound to them that is really hard to pinpoint, perhaps coming from a seventies type of rock. The multiple vocals, which tie together the traditional vocals with a voice that pokes through the different speakers perhaps are the best innovation in the second half of the disc.

While the recording tends to show its problems during “Theory”, the Bad Religion-like guitar solo present during the track is of a quality that bursts through any systemic limitations. Not even giving space for a breath, Potty Mouth Society jumps up a level for their “Manifest”. The slightly-snotty vocals present during the track lie perfectly on the simplistic and hard-hitting arrangements present on the track. While they have been able to play local stages on Warped, there is nothing band-related that would hold Potty Mouth Society from gaining larger notoriety in the next few years. The only thing I could come up with is that the band tends to struggle with slower-tempoed sections of track but honestly these are few and far between.

Top Tracks: Theory, Drugs & Guns

Rating: 7.8/10

[JMcQ]