Hellcat Records (label)
20 September 2024 (released)
4 h
As we enjoy the last days of the sun, we have found the perfect summer album by California-based band The Calamatix. The band are: Raylin Joy (lead singer-songwriter), Tim Armstrong (guitar), Adam Porris (guitar) and William “Matty” Taylor (bass).
Rancid and Operation Ivy’s Tim Armstrong has a connection to the band that runs deeper than the musical partnership he formed with Raylin. Their self-titled debut album has been released on his label Hellcat Records, which is an imprint of Epitaph Records.
Uplifting from the beginning, ‘Love, Lies & Alibis’ starts the album with early Avril-punk attitude. Breathing freshness into old-skool ska, Raylin brings a poppy quality to her vocals. Bursting with young and sleek energy, ‘Believe It Or Not’ continues their good-time vibes. Like many on the album, the track may sound chilled and laid-back, yet, if you listen carefully to the lyrics, it’s all about heartbreak.
Naughty but nice, ‘Still Rudy’ hits all the right infectious pop-punk notes. With ‘Rootstyle’ taking us into mellow meanderings that linger on the bright and breezy ‘Book Of Love’. We find ourselves at the mercy of an edgy electric intro on the smoothly reggae-rooted ‘Dread’. Next-up is, made for music festivals, ‘Boom Bap’. There is an air of Californian sunshine pop in the mix on this one with serious folksy Ed Sheeran-esque melodies.
‘Lady’ is fully loaded with horns and heart - the epitome of their sound. With Raylin singing ‘Enjoy This Life’, she carries with her a wonderful message. As does ‘Phone Call’, with lyricism inspired by dark times. Together, The Calamatix manage to convert these gloomy times into something joyous and positive. It reminds us of quirky and wholesome early-Lily Allen material. Raylin’s strongest vocal performance on ‘Before It Stops’, which has her giving us all she’s got. Before we know it, we come to a softly sweet finale to the album on ‘Tupelo Honey’, as it rolls gently to a close.
Tracklist:
1. Love, Lies & Alibis
2. Believe It Or Not
3. Still Rudy
4. Rootstyle
5. Book Of Love
6. Dread
7. Boom Bap
8. Lady
9. Enjoy This Life
10. Phone Call
11. Before It Stops
12. Tupelo Honey
