The Queers – Save the World

On the heels of well received releases from Screeching Weasel, The Manges, and others last year, “Ramonescore” fanatics are now treated to a bonus album, the new Queers’ record, Save The World. This record marks the twelfth full-length from a band that has constantly toured and recorded since the early ’80s, at least with sole-remaining member, frontman and founder, Joe Queer (now an Atlantan), who also produced the album.

“Attack of the 5 Ft Bitch” kicks things off in perfect Queers fashion, with the chorus, rather than the verse, first. It’s followed up by the poppy/catchy/cheeky “Shirley Needs A Dildo” that starts off with a guitar riff reminiscent of material on Love Songs for the Retarded. The band diverts from its sound just slightly on a simplistic, garage rock-ish tune in the vein of Squirtgun and The Donnas, “Shit for Brains,” which features a rippin’ guitar solo, something you don’t always hear on majority of The Queers’ songs. The band slows it down on “My Heart’s in the Right Place,” a Riverdales-esque tune that showcases the band’s ability to weave ’50s/’60s moldy-oldie-sounding tunes into their pop-punk wheelhouse. The hard-hitting drums, straight-down guitar and bass continues on the mid-tempo track (well, mid-tempo for The Queers at least), “Cheeto In a Speedo Eating a Burrito,” which is close to some of the songs and sounds fans may have heard on Punk Rock Confidential. The old-school pop-punk keeps on flowing with “Young Dumb and Into Iron Maiden,” an amusing yarn about – you guessed it – a nerdy, young and fat metalhead.

The ’50s/’60s influence returns once again (just a little more blatant this time) on the catchy but slower song “If I Had a Girl Like You,” which features guest backing vocals from Kelly Ogden of The Dollyrots. Ogden returns later with “Let the Rain Wash Away My Tears,” also a catchy slower number. “Hong Fucking Kong” tells the tale of the band being stuck in an airport in China while on tour. Much like the opening track, the extremely catchy, grungy tune “White Power Feud in Atlanta” starts with the chorus.

Elsewhere, “Bubblegum Girl,” the only song not written by Joe Queer (it’s written by Ben Weasel of Screeching Weasel), sounds about what you’d expect a song titled that to sound like. Speaking of Screeching Weasel, “Leave That Girl Alone,” sounds very Screeching Weasely. “Nightmare to Deal With” is true nostalgia, very Mr. T Experience, and will surely bring the listener back to the ’90s Lookout Records days. The album concludes with “We Love Our Fans,” half of which cheekily makes fun of The Queers’ fanbase, with lyrics like “Ugly guys who can’t get laid in a chicken coop/ Lots of girls who like to fight with horrible tattoos,” while the other half comes off like an earnest love letter to the fans.

The Queers’ Save the World is a solid, politically irreverent, not-so-serious record, that’s a happy diversion during these sometimes dark days.

The Queers
Save The World
[All-Star/Asian Man]