The Henry Clay People, Twenty-Five for the Rest of Our Lives

Videos by American Songwriter

The Henry Clay People
Twenty-Five for the Rest of Our Lives
(TBD Records)
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

West Coast retro punkers mix elements of the Clash, the Fall, the Hold Steady and the Offspring into charging, clomping rockers with strong socio-political lyrical overtones. These songs boast easy to remember, shout-out-loud choruses that ought to sound great for festival audience sing alongs. Even the few ballads get spit out with a pissed off, slap-your-face intensity that borders on the obnoxious but stay on the righteous side of the us-against-them tightrope. This melodic yet dynamic punk seems to have been created in the early ’80s, a high compliment and one the band is likely to embrace far more than the realization that the disc’s title is impossible to fulfill.

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