Holiday - Missiles On The Roof 7" - Green Vinyl (/500)

Brassneck / JSNTGM / Lost Cat / Pumpkin / Antikörper Export (2013)

I reviewed the Holiday LP last year and dug it quite a bit.  Scott from Brassneck happened to ask me about their 1st 7" as he had stumbled across his last remaining copy.  I didn't have it and I also don't think I knew that it existed, which seemed odd to me.  So, I let Scott know I needed a copy and here we are.  It still seems a little weird that I didn't already have this, especially as it's the first Brassneck release, but admittedly I have definitely noticed it gets harder to keep track of this sort of thing as I get older.  There's only so much record collecting information you can cram into your head.  I think this is one of the reasons I can never remember anyone's name, there's just no room left in my brain.

This Holiday 7" is great, though it is a bit different from last year's LP.  All the way back in 2013, Holiday didn't have quite as much of a Mega City Four or Senseless Things feeling.  They sounded a bit more straight up melodic pop punk.  The Goober Patrol vibes that I felt on the full length are more front and center on these songs, which in some ways I like even better.  You're never going to upset me when you're channeling UK punk rock like Snuff or the Goobers.  I'll always get behind the big guitar sounds and pounding rhythm section.

In a lot of ways, Holiday matured a lot and became better song writers by the time they got to the LP, but there's something refreshing and undeniably enjoyable about the four raucous songs on this 7".  Even the one song that ended up on the LP as well, "Lunch Break," sounds a lot rougher around the edges.  I'm not sure which is better as they both scratch different itches, but I like having the different options.  

Holiday - Missiles On The Roof 7"

https://brassneckrecords.bandcamp.com/album/holiday-holiday-ep-7

Holiday - California Steamin' LP - Green Vinyl (/300)

Brassneck / Pumpkin / Antikorper Export / Prejudice Me (2017)

I think I'm listening to more UK punk rock bands right now than at any time since the mid 90's.  There's something of a renaissance going on where melodic guitar punk is coming back around again.  Holiday is a band that is new to me, but they've released one heck of debut album.

There's something instantly familiar about this band that hits me the very second I pop this on the turntable.  At first I just couldn't place it.  It was the vocals.  They really reminded me of something I just couldn't nail down.  Then Kazu from Waterslide records pointed out to me that they reminded him of Goober Patrol.  That was it, that was the comparison I was looking for.  Vocally, Holiday have a lot in common with early, Dutch Ovens and Truck Off era Goober Patrol. You're not going to get the kind of grit the Goobers were throwing around by the time they got to Vacation, but instead it's a smoother raspiness from their early days.

These vocals combines with a swirling, punked up guitar sound that harkens back to Mega City Four to give Holiday a distinct, but familiar sound.  It's very much a call back to the UK of the early 90's while staying current and exciting.  California Steamin' is a true highlight of 2017 and is easily one of the best records I've heard all year.

Holiday - California Steamin':

https://brassneckrecords.bandcamp.com/album/holiday-california-steamin

The Odd Numbers - Holiday 7" & The Easy Life 7"

The Odd Numbers - Holiday 7" & The Easy Life 7", a photo by Tim PopKid on Flickr.

Side 1 (199?)
Detour (1995)

The odd numbers were a snappy little combo that played Jam influenced mod pop back in the 90's. They've got a good number of singles out there, most of which were compiled onto the absolutely stellar Jazz Cigarettes LP (A must own). I have a few of their 7"s, but am always looking to add more on the cheap if they're available. Once again thank you Discogs.

The funniest thing I'll say is that the Holiday 7" is that it's on a label called Side 1. I have no idea what year it came out, but I think (think being the operative word) that this might have been an early incarnation of what became Side One Dummy. I could be totally wrong, but boy, that's wacky if it's so.

Found a version of Holiday being performed in a parking lot...check it out.

The Odd Numbers - Holiday (Live):
www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqS7ncCmlSI