Curse Words are a four piece pop/punk band from Washington D.C., self described as: “passive aggressive punk rock, meets death by bar tabs.” I would say that is a fair assessment. It Was the Cursed Of Times is their first release on the independent label, Allegedly Records. At 13 tracks, this album definitely deserves multiple play throughs and a few songs have even migrated to my permanent playlist. I encourage you to listen to this album from front to back, at least a couple of times, because every song connects with the previous and the following song.
The record starts out very dark and ominous with “Are We Not Drawn Onward”, with the narrator making note of the state of things and preparing the listener for what is to come. This leads into the next song called “Igneous.” This song is very catchy and sing-along-able (is that a word? If not, it is now i guess, haha). This is one of my favorite tracks on the album, for numerous reasons. Though mainly because combined with the intro track, it really just sets the tone for this entire album.
We’re going to skip a couple songs and go to track 5 titled “The Nineties,” which is another of my favorites on this release. This song has a skate/punk vibe that has you chanting along with each verse. And if you were in your mid-teens to early 20’s in the nineties, then there’s a good chance you will connect with this song.
Track 7 is called “Fist fight Father Time.” I very much love the name of this song. It starts out on the fast side, and continues on with a steady beat. I could see myself starting a pit when this begins. Then continuing the whoa whoa chant, it’s very infectious….
And on we go to the trilogy, tracks 8, “(Metamorphosis Pt. 1)”, and 9, “(Metamorphosis Pt. 2&3). All good sci-fi epics have them, and this is no exception. Starting out with Part 1 we have a slow almost folkish start, progressing into a faster and more up beat tune. Leading into part 2 & 3, the pace picks up and it makes you want to get out of your seat and dance around.
“404” is the 11th song with a very catchy guitar riff and beat that just keeps pumping along. Lyrically this song is tight and has a very chant-able chorus, culminating with a very strong finish leading into the next track, “Sedimentary.” This song begins very slow and a bit dark, but picks up quickly and continues the tradition of the anthem type chorus.
This leads us to the closing track called “Drawn Onward to A New Era.” Much like the intro, it is a light instrumental with spoken word summarizing the journey we just took. I truly enjoyed this entire album and encourage everyone to give it a thorough listen. Also give their previous releases a spin, you won’t be disappointed.
Jeremiah is a simple man, a middle aged punker from Northern Michigan. He enjoys going to shows, listening to all kinds of music, skating, hanging out with friends, and blazing fatties.