Thundering Asteroids!

Tomorrow's Yesterdays Today [EP] (2012)

Rich Cocksedge

Some while ago I had the pleasure of reviewing debut EP release of Thundering Asteroids!, one which took a host of nostalgic references and made some pretty good new wave/punk songs out of them. Now the Asteroids! are back with more of that infectious brand of music. Once again there are numerous references to science fiction and fantasy genres in terms of films, arcade games etc. from days gone by but it's not a total nostalgia fest as there is the odd reference that is more from this century than the last.

The seven tracks begin with "All I Got Was This Lousy Future," an obvious play on the "all I got was this lousy t-shirt" slogan but here vocalist Minn deadpans her way through a trip to the future in which she gets a lousy future rather than the shirt. Okay, not massively hilarious but humorous enough and a pretty good opening nonetheless.

Next up comes possibly the strongest song on the album in the form of "Scott Pilgrim vs My Heart" which is clearly a result of the film/comic book series. Opening with a cry of "We are Sex Bob-omb. 1, 2, 3, 4" in reference to the film hero's own band, Thundering Asteroids! unleash some strong riffs and clever lyrics, once again delivered in an almost disinterested, but perfect, way by the excellent Minn.

"Frak Off" contains numerous sci-fi references ranging from Star Trek, through Red Dwarf all the way to the Hitchhikers' Guide to the Universe, and shows that these guys and gal really do get immersed in that whole culture/genre.

The next notable step back in time takes us to the 1986 movie Labyrinth, in which David Bowie plays the powerful and mysterious character that features in the title of the song "I've Got a Thing for the Goblin King," and the end result is an extremely catchy tune with a basic but memorable refrain. There's obviously a few themes underlying all that this band does and it could quite easily become tedious, but it's done in a way that helps keep it fresh on each listen which is to the credit of Dwight Solo, Scott Starkiller and CS-DU3, who along with the aforementioned vocalist make up the band.

With tracks referencing the Karate Kid ("Cobra Kai Fight Song") and old video games ("He Never Played Atari"), the general nostalgic momentum is maintained with ease and overall, this release is certainly a step up from the previous work I've heard from the Thundering Asteroids! Musically it's quite riff laden, with the guitar driving the songs along assisted by some energetic bass lines and a keen, snapping drum sound, all of which helps makes this the amusing and enjoyable musical romp it is; especially if you like reliving your past or chuckling at what a lot of us older people found entertaining 20 to 30 years ago!

I think this lot and Toronto's Careers in Science might find that some of their respective interests are similar – I'd like to see both bands on the same bill too.