AM

BA (2020)

TomTrauma

The normal standard for Punknews reviews is that they should be at least 250 words long. Those of you who read mine regularly know that this is generally not a problem. Especially for my sometimes sprawling live show reviews. (Does anybody remember live shows?) That being said, coming up with a decent word count for AM proved to be a challenge. Why? I can’t understand a single fucking word of it! (71)

AM is a Polish punk and hardcore band that has been around since 1996. BA is their new album, and there’s not one word of English. The black and white cover art might lead you to expect D-beat hardcore, but that’s not the case. While the music is often fast, it’s more positive sounding. It’s jagged and hectic, but also sort of upbeat. Maybe like a more aggressive Minutemen or Big Boys. The rhythms are propulsive, and they’re not afraid to use some unusual, jazzy sounding chords. (156)

I spoke briefly via Messenger with bassist and sax player Przemek Zwias. This is what he had to say, “The lyrics are about our difficult existence in a sick world”. If that doesn’t sum up the universal punk experience, then I don’t know what does. You can sense the anger and frustration in the gruff vocals, even through the language barrier. Despite AM’s desperation, there is a sense of optimism. That's something we can all use in 2020. BA is available on Bandcamp as a “name your price” download. Send a couple bucks to our punk brothers halfway across the globe. (257)