Screamfeeder, Pop Guilt, 2017

Album Review

By Henry Lipput

Pop Guilt is the very excellent new album from the Brisbane, Australia-based Screamfeeder, an indie band who's been around since 1991.

Their music is melodic post-punk pop (try saying that three times fast), and Pop Guilt reminds me of a few of my favorite albums from the time the band started recording like The Lemonheads' It's A Shame About Ray and Blake Babies' Sunburn (and I also hear some of Screamfeeder's fellow Australians, Hoodoo Gurus).

Over the years, Screamfeeder have played with bands like Sonic Youth, Rollins, Buffalo Tom, Bob Mould, Grant Hart, Swervedriver, Ride, and The Breeders. But over time, many of their peers, for various reasons, left the music scene, leaving Screamfeeder to carry the 90s post-punk torch by themselves. Guitarist and vocalist Tim Steward has said that the world he and his band mates knew when they started has disappeared, and the culture they created has evaporated.

Which makes it all the more remarkable that Screamfeeder, seven albums in and over 25 years on, are still bringing a freshness and excitement to their songs. On Pop Guilt, the whole band is in top form; and it sounds as if it's their first release and they feel as if they have something to prove.

In addition to Steward, Screamfeeder are made up of Kelly Lloyd on bass and Dean Shwereb on drums. The guitars range from a whisper to a scream(feeder); and the bass and drums lock together, the drums always laying down a solid rocking beat and the very melodic bass filling the spaces.

The lead-off track "Half Lies" has vocals by Steward; and, from the beginning, you get a real feel for how great a guitar-centric album this is going to be. In addition to all of the amazing stuff Steward is playing on every song, "Got A Feeling" and "Making It Up" have nice Nada Surf vibes.

The album's first single and next song is the really cool rave-up "All Over It Again" sung by Lloyd and Steward. They also contribute dual vocals to the dreamy "Falling" (I really, really like the guitars on this one).

Lloyd gives a strong vocal on "Shelter," and her "Alone In A Crowd" is gorgeous and very Juliana Hatfield. "Sonic Souvenirs" is sung as a full-scale kiss-off and the band plays it with a take-no-prisoners attitude.

Pop Guilt is out now on Rogue Wave Records.