With three out of fourteen tracks on this album containing the word “wanna,” I knew what I was in for when it came to The Mugwumps (#1 “Just in Case You Wanna Know,” #9 “Don’t Wanna Know,” and #13 “Do You Wanna Kung Fu”). This three-piece from Austria really know how to nail down the Ramonsey parts where they’re needed and it’s surprisingly more sparing than one might assume. Now I don’t wanna make it sound all bad, but the more I listen to the raspy, breathy vocals over 1, 2, 3, 4 breakdowns, the less I wanna hear this record. Maybe I’m just burnt out on hearing homage records with nothing substantial from these musicians who were born thirty-seven years too late, but this just isn’t a record that I wanna walk around with. But if you’re missing Tommy and the rest, and can’t get enough of this brand, pick up this record. It’s definitely catchy as hell and has incredible Lookout!-inspired artwork by frontman Chris Mug. This record is precisely the mid-tempo pop punk album it set out to be, it’s just not quite for me.
–Kayla Greet (It’s Alive / Monster Zero)