Couch Potato Massacre "Culture Shock"
Review by: T.A. Thomas, Writer
Edited by: Andrew Perrizo, Owner/Editor @PlaylistTC
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Just weeks before the pandemic laid the world low, Couch Potato Massacre had cemented their permanent lineup and began playing shows in support of their then recently released 6 song EP, Booze and Delusions. Undaunted by what could’ve been a setback, the band took advantage of the time to write and record, ultimately selecting 6 new tracks to couple with Booze and Delusions to produce their debut full length, Culture Shock, set to release on June 1 st , 2022 on OutLoud Records (Lodi, CA).
Couch Potato Massacre’s songs all share the same theme: movies, TV shows and video games. A very specific focus conceived by Minneapolis songwriter/guitarist/vocalist Popeye and Roseville drummer Matt, as a vehicle for several songs Popeye had written, that up to that point, but didn’t quite fit with his other projects. After a couple lineup changes, Minneapolis bassist Griffin joined the band in late 2019, bringing with him the melodic and solid foundation upon which CPM’s guitar driven, hook-laden, pop punk songs soar. Capitalizing on the skills honed from three decades of songwriting, Popeye has written over 50 new songs for CPM, giving the band a deep well of future material to choose from.
Veterans of the Minneapolis punk scene, Popeye and Matt have been working together in various bands for quite some time, releasing full lengths and EP’s as The Liverspots and Hangover Factory, and separately in other projects, Such as Switchboard, a post-hardcore juggernaut fronted by Popeye that released two excellent EP’s in the early 2000’s. Griff is a newcomer to the overall scene, yet delivers as a seasoned professional, with his contributions quickly becoming a pivotal ingredient to the CPM formula.
The final product from the gifted songwriter and a skillfully driving rhythm section, CPM’s songs are short, fast, clever, and addictively catchy. The 12 that comprise Culture Shock showcase the bands’ ability to expertly combine a deeply rooted pop sensibility with the ethos of Minneapolis punk to create an engaging and refreshingly fun debut record. CPM’s sound has been described as RamonesCore and the Ramones influence is easy to hear in the pop influenced melodies and driving rhythm. Listeners might also pick up hints of Groovie Ghoulies, Chixdiggit, and the Copyrights.
I was extremely excited to hear this record. I saw most of CPM’s show at Big Turn Music Festival in February 2019. They kicked ass and helped solidify the fact that the ability to do so remains democratically dispersed among the lot of us, and is very frequently found in the small clubs, bars, and basements much closer to home and being created by the guy who spends the rest of the week in a cubicle, scratching out a living removing malware and internet history from the VP’s computer. Ever since that night I’ve had “Broomstick,” track eleven on Culture Shock, consistently rolling around in my head.
There isn’t a skippable track on this record, but I’m going to only cover a few of my favorites and save the rest for you, the reader, to explore on your own.
The album opens with “Be Mine”, a song about video games that really isn’t, but one that sets the tone for the rest of the songs on the record. Popeye’s lyrics make fantastic use of word play to tie the frustration of trying to figure out how to play any game after 1999 with the anxiety and defeat that comes from fumbling through an interaction with that person you find irresistible.
Second track on the album was written after Matt asked PopEye during practice, “Do we have a song about Office Space?” and PopEye replied... “How do we not have a song about Office Space?” Matt answered with, “I don’t know, dude. You write the songs. Get on that.” “McWaddams” is one of the band’s favorites, and for good reason. It builds to the chorus “I’m gonna burn this building down” which is completely relatable and therapeutic to anyone working a job, any job, these days.
Track seven is “War Paint” an ode to every single one of us that watched pro-wrestling in its hey day of the late ‘80s and early ‘90s. A blistering sentiment to taking big risks for the roar of the crowd and the glory of the title belt, The Ultimate Warrior would be proud, rest his soul.
“Flaming Moe’s” is the eighth track on the record and one of my personal favorites. Obviously, a nod to one of the best episodes The Simpsons ever aired on Sunday night, the nostalgia evoked is sweetly palatable and the sing along chorus is an earworm that I haven’t been able to escape.
Culture Shock was recorded, produced, mixed and mastered at TreeSpeak Studios in Minneapolis by Andy Mathison, who also contributed backing vocals to several tracks. The album will be released on Bandcamp and available on CD at all their shows.
Couch Potato Massacre will be hosting a release party for Culture Shock on Saturday, June 11th at the Terminal Bar in Minneapolis with Big Dill from Laramie, Wyoming and City Mouse from Riverside, CA/Tampa, FL. They will also be scheduling some dates in Wisconsin, Iowa and Illinois later this year and are excited to begin work on their next full length.
