Fuzzy guitars and gnarly vocals leads the way in the sonic world of the OC Rippers. The New Jersey punk outfit have been doing their thing for a few years now, and their brand-new Happy Hours Air Travel Club album is long on catchy melodic lines and devoid of nuance. This is music that gets to the point but never sacrifices hooks along the way.
"We just wanna show people a good time and be loud as hell," says guitarist by Johny Giordano. "OC Rippers have been a band since summer 2019, and we have long been playing in and out of bands for years: No Parole, Executors, and Lethal Aggression."
Johny's explanation about some of OC Rippers' key influences makes total sense when you hear their balance of gruff and melody:
"We're all over the map with music individually, but together as a band we draw influences outta '60s and '70s rock and roll and early punk like Sham 69 and the UK Subs."
As far as the songs on Happy Hours Air Travel Club, Johny keeps it real: "Lyric wise, our singer, Lyles, is nuts and he writes about real life. Sometimes I think if he wasn't in this band they probably woulda institutionalized him by now [laughs]. So, naturally, he's got knack for writing a great love song."
OC Rippers are part of a proud tradition of Garden State punk music:
"There's a lot of action in New Jersey right now, there always is. Down the shore, where we come from, it's been particularly great the past few years and it continues to grow. We'll play with anyone and don't like to be limited. Bands we dug that we gigged with recently include Freezeheads from New Brunswick and Operants from Toms River."
***
Happy Hours Air Travel Club is available on LP via Ruined Records, and across all streaming outlets.
***
Tagged: oc rippers
