Review: Bev Rage and the Drinks – Cockeyed

I didn’t know how much I and the rest of the world needed queercore punk in this day and age until I heard Chicago’s Bev Rage and the Drinks‘ debut full-length album Cockeyed.

Launching out of the gate with wild punk riffs on “Why Won’t You Hate Me?” Ms. Rage and her bandmates thrown down the gauntlet to any other punk band thinking of releasing a record in 2018.  “Mouth” is a fast, funny takedown of a lying lover whose lame excuses and dumb alibis become enjoyable farce.  It’s appropriate that the follow-up is the thirty-second “Don’t Know Shit.”

“Short Shorts” and “Limp Wrist” are each under two minutes and still pack more punk squalor into them than an entire Ataris album.  “Limp Wrist” is one of the best punk tracks of 2018.

A gay friend of mine heard “Bitter Old Queen” and declared it his “new theme song.”  I think he meant it for past lovers, as Ms. Rage does because both of them are too busy having fun to be bitter.  Ms. Rage’s former beau does nothing but complain and no longer wants to hit the town (“I want to go out for a walk, but that is too fucking hard…”), tempting her to push her man off a bridge and end the relentless bitching.

Mission accomplished on “Someone New,” in which Ms. Rage proudly declares she’s moved onto to someone better.   Unfortunately, her new man is already looking for the “Next Best Thing” (hint: He won’t find it, judging by the angry guitar chords and wild rhythm section chaos this tune has in it.).

“I’m Having a Tryst with a Narcissist” is so damn clever that you can’t stop grinning throughout it.  Ms. Rage is a witty lyricist, so be sure to pay attention to the words behind the distortion, bass thumps, and mosh pit beats.  “Waffle House” is another great example of her storytelling, as Ms. Rage tells of falling asleep at a Waffle House and having a naughty dream about the waiter.  The album ends with “Looking,” another verbal / musical smackdown / high heel boot stomp of a lover who can’t or won’t take the Nestea Plunge with Bev Rage.

This is one of the best punk albums I’ve heard all year.  It’s full of squalling guitars, rough-edge drums, fuzzed-out bass, and more anger and sass than the green room at a Parisian fashion show.  Don’t miss out on it.

Keep your mind open.

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