This might be news to you but here’s a news flash, My Pal by utterly-obscure-split-up-years-ago Australian underground garage rockers God is one of the best punk rock seven-inch singles of all time, ever. It’s rough, ragged, sounds like shit but contains stamped within it’s grooves a raw emotion that never fails to get the hairs up on the back of the neck.
‘You’re my only friend, and you don’t even like me,’ they scream as the repetitive lead guitar hook line repeats over and over and lodges itself into your brain for good.
They never really wrote another song that came close to this, thus explaining their obscurity but this is Butchers Hook’s personal favourite single of all time and they must be ecstatic to have the chance to throw it back into the spotlight 20 years later.
My Pal crackles with energy and youthful mayhem. It’s Husker Du meets Dinosaur Jr meets Squirrel Bait and is drenched in so much fuzz you’ll think your ears are fucked. And they will be. Fucked by God.
James Sherry