Review: Human Race (S/T)

Record Label: Teenadelic Records

Release: November 2015

I love the Italian music scene. In the last 6-8 years, it has seen quite a strong resurgence in the punk, garage, glam and psychedelic genres. I got my first taste of this revival several years ago with an opportunity to book a Mummies-esque band, The Ultra Twist. It was at that moment when I became quite intrigued with Italy’s music scene.

Last year, I started to co-run and write for a small ‘zine, Hello Dirty, based in Bologna. We got a huge dose of everything that was happening in Italy, like a new label surfaced out of Rome called Teenadelic. It received the attention of Terri Hooley, the founder of Good Vibrations, and has even thrown a huge release party with legendary Belfast power-pop outfit, Protex, as the headliner. Human Race, a band in the Italian punk scene, also played the party’s lineup and released its debut seven-inch.

Having an opportunity to check out Human Race’s release, these guys have 1977 written all over them with hints of Adolescents and Descendents thrown in for good measure. The debut release is 100% solid. Since there are only two recordings, “Human Race” and “I Can’t Wait,” there is little to dissect. The tracks are explosive and to the point; however, it’s highly addictive. I caught myself blasting this seven-inch over and over again. I have a feeling these guys have a bright future ahead and, just as the first track says about one’s inability to wait, I absolutely cannot wait to hear where they go with the next release. Human Race offers a style of rock ‘n’ roll with which I identify– an “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” mentality. Kudos to these dudes for bringing something to the table that’s not trying to reinvent the wheel, so to speak, but is just good rock ‘n’ roll. More of this approach, please.

By Justin Crumpton