Jansen Records release the fifth album from fun Garage/Punk combo Death By Unga Bunga. They are celebrating their 10th anniversary together, and are busier than ever. They have not only toured extensively in their homeland of Norway, but supported Stiff Little Fingers on their 40th anniversary tour, and headlined their own dates in the US. Since their last album, Pineapple Pizza, the band has put out a remastered edition of their first album Juvenile Jungle, and released an EP called Fight. Their new album, So Far, So Good, So Cool features just over half an hour of full-on energy Pop-Rock...

I reviewed the album Pineapple Pizza back in 2016, expressing enthusiasm for their energy and melody. Should each album be a progression? I suppose that’s open to debate; everyone has their favourite albums for different groups, after all. When you’re expecting music to be good before you begin listening to it, there’s invariably a slight feeling of disappointment. Diminishing returns, you might say. Whereas if there are no expectations the impact is more profound. Consequently, whereas I enjoyed Pineapple Pizza immediately, So Far, So Good, So Cool has steadily grown on me with repeated plays in the car.

And talking of the car… This is definitely Summer music to drive to with the windows down. Bystanders will like it, be confused by it, intrigued or annoyed by the volume. What they won’t be is bored. It’s at times Pop, Punk, Rock or Indie. It’s fun, driven and anything from commercial Pop-Punk to balancing on the edge of offensive. The singing is clear and sounds almost American, and the guitar is constant hooks and short, melodic, unpretentious solos. I particularly like the breaks, which are either weird, machine-like noises or background studio chatter. It grounds the group into sounding more like a raw but tight amateur band practicing in the garage (which is no bad thing, as far as I’m concerned).

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Ty Power