The Owen Guns x Monks in Sexyland

When I read reviews; particularly critical reviews, I find myself wondering what credentials or background the reviewer has to base their opinions on. For me, not being a “Punk” sommelier per se, would identify as definitely a genre fan, but the spectrum of “Punk” is a massive one so for context, the greatest Sydney punk band was Dos Dedos (do a deep dive and see if you can find anything of theirs) their only release was something like 13 minutes with 19 songs on it. For this one reason; despite being an Owen Guns fan; despite knowing some of the guys fairly well… I’m qualified.

Monks in Sexyland IS Punk. Monks in Sexyland IS good but to get any criticism out of the way at the top, it’s not as strong as their debut –despite making more of an impact on the Australian Independent Record Labels Association Charts, and less an album than a suite of punk future-classics.

What these guys do so well, is present arguments for their political views in concise –albeit angrily, bite sized nuggets of tongue-in-cheek eloquence.

While a listener could hear the jugular of their proverbial victims ripping, it’s always presented in a context of good humour. Not to imply that The Owen Guns are a…joke or comedy band, more that they don’t bark their beliefs at you. Album highlights are Stop Making Deadshits Famous, Unity and The Algorithm, which is quite a departure sonically from their standard fare and could hold its own with the best of Psychedelic Turnbuckles tunes. Perfectly placed movie and TV show samples make for excellent points of reference for the relevant tracks and also make it clear that these guys; far from being out-of-the-loop, aren’t first-timers.

The non-linier nature of Monks In Sexyland makes it more of a…compilation or a shuffle-play than an “Album” but maybe that’s also its charm. You could listen to these 8 tracks twice in less than half an hour and develop both a taste for The Owen Guns and find a favourite track.

If you loved the Dawn Of The Braindead, you’ll easily see this as an excellent companion piece like a revolver to their rubber soul, but….as I’m now referencing The Beatles as comparisons…it’s time to wrap up the review. If you like Punk, you’d be an idiot not to throw a few bucks at Monks In Sexyland.

The Owen Guns ‘Monks in Sexyland’ out now
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