Subwaste / Tommy Gustafsson & The Idiots
"Split" | Warbird #002 | CD | 2008

Divided equally at six tracks apiece, Split kicks off with the three-chord punk rock of Swedish goons Subwaste. Taking their adoration for pre-’80s liberty spikes and leather jackets to the extreme, yet kicking in just enough SoCal harmonies to maintain freshness, the Subwaste portion of this album most certainly sets a high bar for TG&TI to follow. Settling into something a touch more blues-based — yet still entirely punk — Gustafsson leads his band into virtual punk rock’n’roll territory on “Dead End Street,” “Bring The Rope” and “Love Of My Life,” assuring that even when you come from something as far from Social Distortion as Da Skywalkers, everyone has a bit of the old Sick Boy in them. While not as simplistic as Mike Ness and crew, the aforementioned one-four-five of his band’s delivery is still quite rock-based, ensuring that TG&TI hold up their end of the bargain.
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