During the 90’s punk rock became a little more mainstream as more and more radio stations started to play the many bands that were trying to be punk rockers. Since then there have been bands that try to get that sound back that the 90’s had for the punk rock bands but for the most part those bands fall short. There are a few bands that have been able to capture that sound that was defined for the 90’s and the band The Stereo State has come close to having that sound on their new album ‘Have All My Friends Gone Deaf’. Eleven songs are on this album that are bursting with energy and punk sounds from the first to the last song played.
For me the 90’s were a fun time for music because it was the decade that had to break away from the 80’s. The music became a little more edgier, the lyrics had some more grit and grim to them, and the playing got louder and faster. It’s this sound that The Stereo State has captured in their songs. From the first song “Ahhgust” I was ready to get into a set of songs that were going to be packed with a lot of energy. I was not wrong in this assumption because The Stereo State shows that a song can have a lot of power in them without having to play the instruments so hard that they sound like they are about to break or by screaming so loud that the lyrics are near impossible to understand. These songs have a lot of energy to them and I can understand everything that’s being sung by Andy Frongillo.
“Have All My Friends Gone Deaf” gives a good change up with the 11 songs being played on the album making it not sound like one continuous song. What makes these songs good are the vocals. If there’s anything I like more about a song it’s being able to understand what’s being said. I don’t care if they are screaming or at a whisper as long as I know what words are being said I’m happy. However, if by chance I wasn’t able to understand what was being said the pull out that serves as the cover for the CD also has every song with the lyrics wrote on it along with a poster. There was time put in both the way the songs are being played and on the CD itself and it comes across in the songs and the CD. I like the vibe that is put out in these songs, though at times the vocals sounded a little off on range with one song, I was still enjoying the music. The Stereo State has a feel for what punk rock sounds like and do a decent performance in putting that sound in their songs on “Have All My Friends Gone Deaf”.