Keep Them Counting is the debut full length album from one of Fat Wreck’s newest additions to the family, The Last Gang, which is due out March 2nd. The trio is following up their 7 inch release of Sing For Your Supper which came out last December. The band picked up right where they left off with these 10 songs, ranging from mid-tempo rockers that could have come from a Rancid B-side, to faced paced rippers like “Nobody’s prostitute” that I wouldn’t be surprised if The Distillers didn’t have a co-write credit on it. None of these comparisons are bad, as the Last Gang certainly has found a formula for writing great punk rock songs.
Opening the album is the aforementioned “Sing for Your Supper”, which pulls listeners in with its almost ska influenced bass and snare rim intro. Don’t worry, 10 seconds later all that is thrown out the window with palm muted guitars and a chorus that will stick in your head for a long time. “Blood Drunk” will be a great song to hear live because of the group chants of “HEY HEY” throughout the track. Speaking of seeing the band live, they will be touring with the almighty Good Riddance, and also have a slot on the Punk In Drublic Music Fest that includes NOFX, Mad Caddies, Bad Religion and more. I expect the band to gain a lot of fans and traction from these upcoming shows.
As great as the fast moments are on Keep Them Counting, the album does that for sure. Check out “Salvation of Wolves” which a super catch tune that The Interrupters could try to pull off, but it wouldn’t feature Phil Campbell of Motorhead, who’s solo closes out the song. “Believe in the Poet” which has the lyric that the album is based off, features a very catchy up-beat chorus, with a spoken/semi rapped delivery during the verses in the song, and is one of my favorites on the album just because of this shake up. Shifting gears one more time, the band closes with “Secret Sounds” an acoustic number filled with melody and melancholy about not going back home.
Crisp production and good song writing throughout, The Last Gang have put forth a very good debut record, and will be a band to take note of if you are a fan of the bands mentioned throughout the review. With a pretty busy touring schedule for 2018, and 2 releases already on Fat, it could be a pretty big world for the Last Gang. Looking forward to seeing what is next.