The seventh album from The Peawees—a long running La Spezia, Italy outfit who have roots in the punk scene—finds the band going through some lineup changes, divorce, employment issues and the death of close ones. They’ve taken those hardships and parlayed them into excellent art, where rock’n’roll, soul, punk and garage rock spirit is present and appreciated across these 11 songs of “all killer no filler.”

The rowdy and energetic “Banana Tree” starts the listen with Tommy Gonzalez’s crisp and swift drums complementing the buzzing guitars of the crunchy climate. “Drive” then follows with much melody, where Fabio Clemente’s bouncy bass helps make for a playful, punk-fueled landscape. Deeper into side A, “The Wolf” showcases Dario Persi’s rhythmic guitar amid both grit and tunefulness, and “She Cries As She Kills” emits retro rock moments that benefit from firm singing that’s still largely harmonic.

On the back half, “Who’s The Enemy” bops and shakes with the contagious rhythm section that invites a sing-along, and “Spell On Me” is packed with soulful rock that flirts with Motown ideas. Further still, the nostalgic fun of “One Ride” really illustrates front man Herve Peroncini’s memorable singing and animated guitar, and “You’ll Never Be Mine Again” exits with a calmer mood that’s no less interesting or memorable.

If bands like The Sonics, The Courettes, Detroit Cobras, Link Wray, The Saints or The Clash are in your rotation, you’ll certainly want to warm up to The Peawees. Now entering 30 years of rock’n’roll, the band clearly shows no signs of slowing down, and will certainly make a fan out of anyone who likes rock from the ’60s on and isn’t opposed to some Stax and Phil Spector influence, too.

Rating: A

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