Whenever I read the words "punk band" on a new release, some old, now classic band, comes to mind; like Sex Pistols; its where the old head goes. But most of them are dead and the necromancers left are too busy summoning demons to live forever. Hell, CBGB doesn't showcase anymore. Punks dead, that's the popular saying.
But being stubborn and old doesn't make me right and when the curmudgeon gets too rancid, its good to be reminded that Punk did in fact survive the early 90' and simply evolved with the times. Became something new to be molded by each band how best it suits them.
The Ones You Forgot, a New Jersey collective of individuals in the right time discovering the hidden gem of vocalist Jenna Bruno, coming out of almost pure nonexistence with an EP that pulls some 90's classic punk through time, upping the the end result with angelic vocals and a skilled quartet of instrumental hands bringing a somber message a surprising amount of energy. "Too Afraid To Say" is the 2nd EP from the group, announced a week ago and slated for a late June release, which is astonishing, given the polish and smooth sound they managed to craft within an unquestionably punk framework. The best parts of traditional punk shine in a beautifully haunting message of the time spent with the ones we cannot imagine to be without and eventual loss.
The single runs fast with the rhythm, knowing that to dwell too long on the eventual death of a loved one, sick and long in years, is a rather endless pit of circular despair. It treads well-trod ground in a early musical career but it does this with admirable polish and skill and has this endless flow that ends neatly.
