Californian quartet No Use For A Name are considerably smarter and more musically proficient than your average melodic skate-punk band, so it’s a shame that they seem to have not gained much more than a cult following across the globe.
Still, this compilation is proof enough of their ear for a good tune, and rarely dips in quality throughout the course of its 26 tracks. ‘Justified Black Eye’, ‘Let Me Down’, ‘Invincible’…close your eyes, and it’s like you’re back in the late 90s, and this godawful emo craze never happened.
There are also a couple of new songs included, and the cover booklet boasts plenty of amusing little anecdotes and photos that chronicle the band’s 20 year history. A pretty sweet deal, all told.
The band have recently finished touring South America, and will shortly announce more dates. Given that they seem to tour almost non-stop, it’s surely only a matter of time before they hit UK shores again…but in the meantime, check out ‘International You Day’ on the link above.
Alex Gosman