In my years of reviewing and critiquing music, I always fumble on the question, “What is the meaning of punk music?” Some say it’s loud and unapologetic music. Others would say it’s about being different, and I can say, it’s all correct. Let Steve White & The Protest Family’s latest LP, Evidence-Based Punk Rock, help you understand what punk music is a little bit closer.
‘Put Up Shut Up Britain, Part Six’ is the perfect intro song because of its lyrics, ‘Welcome to Put Up Shut Up Britain’. It perfectly introduces us to that 70s-’80s raw and gritty punk. The sound that paved the way for a lot of music today. I love the bold selection and the overall sound. It took me back to my younger years of discovering bands like The Clash, Sex Pistols, and a lot more.
‘The Jolly Capitalist’ has this punk meets blues them to it because of the chord progression, blues bassline, and the melodical progression. As you can see in this type of music, it’s not about high pitch or how melodically good a song is; it’s about the lyrics. The track touches on how messed up the system is by introducing a fictional character named Nick.
What I love about OG punk rockers is how they bend their sound to their liking. ‘Oh, Noah’ is a prime example of that. The overall feel of the song has an easy-going, radio-friendly feel to it. If you try and compare it to the previous tracks, it’s different, and that for me is punk. The ‘I don’t care about it’ attitude, which is humbling at the same time, is really cool.
‘The New Austerity Inn’ continued with this radio-friendly overall tune but has a real sharp political commentary lyricism. It’s filled with metaphors that can easily turn that happy feeling into something really profound and, to some, disturbing. It’s evident in phrases like / You can’t have it if you can’t afford it / It was just like this with George in charge / A bloke at the bar says he voted Farage / And Rachel shouts “Now we’re in charge.”
‘Dark Clouds Over Clacton’ is another prime example of that ‘I don’t care about my sound’ attitude because this is an a acapella track. Yes. Acapella. How cool is that! However, underneath that relaxing tune, the track is loaded with political commentary lyrics that, to be fair, balance out the overall tune.
What I love about ‘Maria’s Housemate’ is that Steve White & The Protest Family have yet again shocked me and decided to create a country song. The track started with the ukulele progression, then advances with this country drum beat accompanied by that rich chord progression from the guitars and bass. We are six tracks in, and we’ve already had three genre changes in this album, and to be perfectly honest, that’s very rare in today’s musical landscape. Steve White & The Protest Family is punk in all its meaning.
‘A Single Tin Of Beans’ has this bluesy/folk theme because of the bass line and the overall song progression. As a music reviewer, skills are one, if not a prerequisite, when it comes to creating music. You need to be skilled enough to express yourself with music, but what fascinates me is the amount of creativity Steve White & The Protest Family has. Imagine juggling from different genres just for the fun of it. If you listen closely, you’ll hear that Steve White & The Protest Family sound, but creating it in a different genre is a different skill on its own.
‘Five A Day’ is geared towards that 80s punk but has that swing feel to it because of its song structure, but in Steve White & The Protest Family fashion, the lyrics talk about emotional exhaustion because of the political system.
‘The Poppy And The Cross’ is the group’s anti-war stance delivered with a country feel. By now, you can already assess the contradiction between the music and the lyrics, which made this album a good listen. The contradiction is uncanny; you have to listen closely to really hear what they mean.
‘Tanks And Guns And Cans Of Beer’ has this sway feel to it because of the song structure, but a clear protest against the exploitation of the working class, while ‘47’ is a clear political commentary on Donald Trump. And lastly, we have ‘You & Me Vs. The Billionaires.’ A commentary about the masses vs the ultra-rich.
Steve White & The Protest Family’s latest LP, ‘Evidence-Based Punk Rock,’ is an album that needs to be heard by the masses. It’s rich with subgenres, political commentary, and conversations that we need to address not just as individuals but as a collective. At the end of the day, Punk was created to shock the system, and this Album did a job well done.
Follow Steve White & The Protest Family
About the Author
He has been in the music industry for two and a half decades. Currently, he plays bass guitar for a rock-reggae band called EnjointPh and a funk-fusion trio called Banky. He also hosts a podcast titled Usapang Musiko with Ervin Besana, which explores topics such as music, arts, and philosophy.
