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Having been a co-founding member of THE WILDHEARTS, it’s no surprise that CJ WILDHEART feels hurt by their most recent, and seemingly final, disintegration. With fellow co-founder Ginger now touring with an all-new lineup, CJ is keen to put the chaos behind him and channel his anger and energy into his brand new solo record Slots. Self-recorded, self-released and self-distributed, this is an album that absolutely beats with a punk rock heart.
Balancing harmony-laced pop melodies with metallic fury has always been CJ’s stock-in-trade, whether in THE WILDHEARTS or his subsequent projects HONEYCRACK and THE JELLYS but never has that blend sounded as electrified and urgent as it does on Slots. Opening track Another Big Mistake combines a classic chugging punk verse with a hook-laden chant-along chorus that is likely to become an instant earworm for anyone that hears it. Of course, there are elements of his previous bands in here but also an extra edge reminiscent of THE CLASH or mid-90s RANCID at their angriest with CJ’s snarled verse vocals and the driving drums of BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE’s Jason Bowld relentlessly powering the whole thing along.
Second track Beg drips with the disgust CJ clearly feels for the prevalence of people on social media seemingly desperate to sell their latest product, whether those people are his former peers or the new generation of influencers: ‘I seen you acting the grifter, in love with the gold’ – at under three minutes it’s a short but not-so-sweet punch to the gut, much like the rest of the album.
It’s not all fire and fury though. As well as some of the poppiest hooks you’ll hear outside of the modern mainstream, we also get a heartfelt tribute to CJ’s partner on You Got The Best Part Of Me, a punk pop celebration of the energy that a positive relationship can bring to someone’s life and how important it is to keep lifting each other up, which is a pretty refreshing viewpoint to hear espoused so clearly on a modern rock record. Another little upbeat treat is the excellent cover of THE JAM’s In The City, which captures all the vitality of the original, particularly Bowld’s sturdy hi-hat work in the verses, which serves as an excellent tribute to THE JAM drummer Rick Buckler, who sadly passed away in February.
Both Coma and The Kids are practically spewed out, fuelled with righteous anger at the state of the UK today, gang shout-along choruses just begging to be yelled out by a bouncing mob at the band’s upcoming live shows. The real fury is saved up for Bent and the the title track itself, though. Bent is one of the heaviest things that CJ has put his name to, thundering hardcore verses aimed at someone that did him wrong in a real time of need – ‘you went down a crooked road, looking like a gutless toad’. The way these lyrics are bawled into the mic highlights perfectly just how hurtful the subject of this song is.
Considering how long he’s been in this game, and how many knockbacks he’s experienced in that time, it’s both admirable and incredibly exciting that CJ WILDHEART is still able to produce music as urgent, energised and powerful as this. It’s also lucky for us because it means we get to keep listening to it. Long may it continue.
Rating: 8/10
Slots is out now via self-release.
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The post ALBUM REVIEW: Slots – CJ Wildheart appeared first on Distorted Sound Magazine.
