Today we’re checking out the Indianapolis based punk band, Bomb Cats and their 2024 EP, Move On. The band consists of Chris Farrell on guitar and vocals, Russ Webster on bass and vocals, James Williams on lead guitar, and Colin Nulty on drums, with Kyle Houpt providing piano on “Gotta Move On”.
We start this EP with “Gotta Move On”, a rock and roll boogie woogie. A Ramones meets Chuck Berry-esque tune that would not be out of place on the Rocky Horror Picture Show’s soundtrack in an alternate universe.
“Pay No Mind” and” Shut Up and Tell Me You Love Me” come in with a bit more grit and punch. There’s a little late stage Iggy Pop vibe here. Maybe something from Skull Ring or The Weirdness album by the Stooges. Throw a little bit of Stiff Little Fingers in the mix as well and you’ve got the ingredients to make these tasty jams.
“Downtown” is a great pre-game anthem. Something you put on in the car on your way to your favorite spot with your buddies. With relatable lyrics, “Downtown” is a song anybody can enjoy, whether you’re an old school rocker or a country western fan who just told their boss they can “take this job and shove it.”
There seems to be a little discrepancy in the next song. On the band’s Spotify and YouTube, we get a cover of The Ramones’ political critique, “Bonzo Goes to Bitburg”, but on Bomb Cats’ Bandcamp, the song seems to be nixed going right into “It’s Such a Bitch”. Regardless, the cover is as good as it should be when covering punk royalty and the band all play their parts well.
“It’s Such a Bitch” brings a bit of a somber tone to close out the Move On EP. Like “Downtown”, the lyrics here are also relatable, albeit in a more upsetting fashion. Whether you’ve lost a friend, a partner, or a parent, “It’s Such a Bitch” seems to be a clear way to describe how you feel in those situations and this is the kind of song you can pull your buddies in close and sing along as loud as you can.
The Move On EP is a good time to be had by all accompanied by great tones and great tunes. With a 17 minute runtime, you may as well put it on twice.
Curtis grew up in Michigan on classic rock. Luckily, there were family members who were there to introduce him to other genres of music not traditionally on the radio, like blues and punk. Then the internet opened up the floodgates to genres and subgenres of music that he never knew existed, like folk punk. Even today, he’s learning about niche styles and diving head first into the menagerie of artists who’ve settled in those parts years before him. Now, he gets to use those new influences and mangle them up into his own music and make it as weird as he’d like.