Review: The Men ‘Buyer Beware’
Hailing from Brooklyn, NY, The Men have been a raucous and electrifying force in the garage rock scene for nearly two decades, tearing up stages across the country with their raw and rampant energy. But to simply label them as a garage rock band would be selling them short and failing to capture the true scope of their musical intrepidness.
Over the course of their impressive 17-year career, and 15 albums under their belt, The Men have fearlessly and relentlessly explored a wide range of musical territories, never content to settle into a single, easily defined sound or to rest on their laurels. This is especially evident in their early albums, each one a stark contrast to the one before, as if the band was determined to completely reinvent themselves with every new release, shedding their sonic skin and emerging anew like a musical phoenix rising from the ashes.
This sonic shapeshifting and chameleon-like ability to adapt can be attributed to the diverse musical backgrounds and eclectic influences that each member brings to the table, allowing them to artfully blend genres and styles into a unique sonic alchemy that is unmistakably their own. At times, delving into The Men‘s extensive and varied discography can feel like getting lost in a labyrinthine maze of sounds, a dizzying journey through uncharted musical landscapes that challenges the listener at every turn.
But no matter how far they may stray from their garage rock roots, or how deeply they dive into experimental waters, they always seem to find their way back home, returning to the primal, bone-shaking intensity that first endeared them to fans and critics alike.
The Men‘s musical journey is a fascinating exploration of diverse sonic territories. Their early albums, the self-released Immaculada and Leave Home on Brooklyn’s Sacred Bones label, are steeped in an aggressive, dissonant, and highly experimental guitar noise, even more abrasive and trashy than the sounds crafted by Robert Poss’s Band Of Susans, Thurston Moore’s Sonic Youth or Rhys Chatham. However, this chaotic phase came to an end with their third album, Open Your Heart, which found the band immersing themselves in a ‘70s-flavored new wave and garage punk sound reminiscent of the Heartbreakers.
Subsequent albums like New Moon, Tomorrow’s Hits, and Mercy ventured into a distinctly different musical realm, far removed from their previous releases. It seemed as if the band had binged on a steady diet of country and alt-rock, evoking musical reminiscences of acts like Green On Red, Naked Prey and even Southside Johnny and The Asbury Dukes. With 2018s Drift, The Men take listeners on yet another musical wavelength, infusing their sound with electro-punk undercurrents that harken back to the UK scene.
With the signing in 2023 to London’s renowned Fuzz Club label, the band’s release of their album New York City marks a triumphant return to the raw, unfiltered essence of punk rock. The record pulses with an electrifying energy, as swirling, relentless guitar riffs intertwine with ferocious, impassioned vocals that drip with sweat and conviction. In the midst of the chaos, they drop an earnest, heartfelt God Bless The USA capturing the strange mix of patriotism and unrest that defines the national mood in these turbulent times.
Listening to Buyer Beware is like mainlining pure adrenaline, a thrilling reminder of a time when music could still feel like a punch to the gut…
Their new album Buyer Beware is a blistering, unapologetic ode to the raw power and unbridled energy of vintage punk rock. From the very first track, the album grabs you by the throat and hurls you back in time to an era when punk was still a dangerous, countercultural force – a primal scream of youthful defiance against the stifling conformity of mainstream society.
The sound is gritty, unpolished, and utterly electrifying, pulsating with the kind of reckless abandon that can only come from a bunch of scrappy, working-class kids pouring their hearts and souls into every riff and every snarled lyric. Across 13 relentless tracks, the band unleashes a sonic assault of breakneck drums, buzzsaw guitars, and throat-shredding vocals, capturing the feverish intensity of a sweat-soaked basement show.
Frontman Mark Perro‘s voice is a force of nature, a ragged howl of pent-up frustration and youthful angst that seems to claw its way out of the speakers. Songs like PO Box 96, Black Heart Blue and Tombstone crackle with the kind of unhinged, anarchic energy that made punk so vital and dangerous in the first place. It’s the sound of disaffected youth raging against a world that doesn’t understand them, channelling their alienation and disillusionment into something raw, real, and utterly alive.
Listening to Buyer Beware is like mainlining pure adrenaline, a thrilling reminder of a time when music could still feel like a punch to the gut. It’s an album that makes you want to jump around, break things and howl along until your voice gives out, lost in the sweaty, chaotic glory of it all.
In a world that often feels sanitized and soulless, the album is a much needed shot of primitive, undiluted rock ‘n’ roll and a testament to the enduring power of punk to shake us out of our complacency and make us feel alive again. Experiencing the wild ride that is The Men‘s music is a truly emotional journey, at turns exhilarating, unsettling and joyous.
Wherever their sonic explorations may lead them next, one thing is certain – it will be one hell of a trip. You may think of Sham 69 on acid, or The Buzzcocks on a mellow state of mind, but the brutal reminiscence of The Dead Boys, The Morlocks and The Sonics have left an indelible mark on bands that tread the same scene but with the spirit of today. They take ‘control’ and there is, as The Men note on the track, Nothing Wrong with it as we are part of the game.
Label: Fuzz Club Records
Band Links: Official | Bandcamp | Spotify | Instagram
Scribed by: Domenico ‘Mimmo’ Caccamo
