
Vietcong Pornsürfers
We Spread Diseases
Dangerous Rock Records
2013
It had been a long time since I listened to a good punk rock album, and then I listened to “We Spread Diseases” by Vietcong Pornsürfers. The band consists of four Swedish guys that in their own words “started playing simply to make up for the lack of true cool rock bands, and too many old long gone past the best before date acts”. Their sound is closer to the fast rock‘n’roll that bands like Deadboys, Social Distortion, Iggy & The Stooges or even Motörhead used to play, rather than pure punk of the Sex Pistols or NOFX, Rancid and Penywise.
The first thing that I really enjoyed on this album is how much fun it is. “We Spread Diseases”, as the title suggests is a fun-loving record that you have fun listening to. It is clear that Vietcong Pornsürfers get a kick out of taking the piss out of everyone including themselves. That is what I thought when I first listened to “The Best Song” in which the band claims that it is “The best song in the universe/.../ This song is so good I can’t sit still”. Don’t get me wrong it is a kick-ass song (one of my favorites in the album), but I don’t think that I am at liberty to decide if it is actually the best song in the universe.
Every track in the album is a fast-pace, old-school composed and old-school sounding rock‘n’roll song. Apparently, the band does not believe in long recording sessions and polished mixes. As the press release says: “all new rock productions often sound silly and harmless, the band went into the studio with the determination to record a rock album that actually sounds like rock. The sound of “We Spread Diseases” has captured the aggressive punch without 20 layers of guitars in the background, no smooth edges and the drums are meant to hurt just like real drums do. Many bands claim that they wanted to catch the raw energy from a live show, but still ends up sounding like the same well-polished “hits for kids” in the studio. Vietcong Pornsürfers has captured that raw feeling, for real. All songs are recorded live, no extra layers of anything”.
The songs that in my opinion stand out from the record are: “Dead Track”, “The Best Song”, “Make You Hate”, “I Hate Your Band” (which is about exactly what you think it is about) and “Diseases” (which has a certain Motörhead vibe to it).
So even though Vietcong Pornsürfers seem to believe that rock‘n’roll was dead before they were born, I think they have managed to make a pretty decent rock‘n’roll album. I don’t know if they will ever get a place among the greats that they so clearly admire, but I think that they should keep at it. They are, I find, on the right track.
The first thing that I really enjoyed on this album is how much fun it is. “We Spread Diseases”, as the title suggests is a fun-loving record that you have fun listening to. It is clear that Vietcong Pornsürfers get a kick out of taking the piss out of everyone including themselves. That is what I thought when I first listened to “The Best Song” in which the band claims that it is “The best song in the universe/.../ This song is so good I can’t sit still”. Don’t get me wrong it is a kick-ass song (one of my favorites in the album), but I don’t think that I am at liberty to decide if it is actually the best song in the universe.
Every track in the album is a fast-pace, old-school composed and old-school sounding rock‘n’roll song. Apparently, the band does not believe in long recording sessions and polished mixes. As the press release says: “all new rock productions often sound silly and harmless, the band went into the studio with the determination to record a rock album that actually sounds like rock. The sound of “We Spread Diseases” has captured the aggressive punch without 20 layers of guitars in the background, no smooth edges and the drums are meant to hurt just like real drums do. Many bands claim that they wanted to catch the raw energy from a live show, but still ends up sounding like the same well-polished “hits for kids” in the studio. Vietcong Pornsürfers has captured that raw feeling, for real. All songs are recorded live, no extra layers of anything”.
The songs that in my opinion stand out from the record are: “Dead Track”, “The Best Song”, “Make You Hate”, “I Hate Your Band” (which is about exactly what you think it is about) and “Diseases” (which has a certain Motörhead vibe to it).
So even though Vietcong Pornsürfers seem to believe that rock‘n’roll was dead before they were born, I think they have managed to make a pretty decent rock‘n’roll album. I don’t know if they will ever get a place among the greats that they so clearly admire, but I think that they should keep at it. They are, I find, on the right track.