Album Review: The Frustrators - 'Griller'

It’s been a long 9 years since their last release but when bass player Mike Dirnt is not playing in one of the world’s biggest punk rock bands Green Day, his other band The Frustrators have found time to release their 3rd record, the 4 song EP ‘Griller’. The follow up to their last release 2002’s 'Achtung Jackass’, ‘Griller’ has been released though Adeline Records run by none other than Green Day front man Billie Joe Armstrong. The Frustrators bring back the sound of good old school punk pop, un-polished and un-preened and worth the wait.

"She’s a stigma in my eyes" is how The Frustrators start of their new record after 9 years and right of the bat opening song 'Stigma blasts you with their old school punk sound, it’s hard not to compare this to early ‘Dookie’ era Green Day' with its mid tempo beats and Mike Dirnt's very recognisable bass style. With that said this song is still what you want from any punk pop song without it being polished and over produced, it’s raw and simple and it’s a catchy song, however short at only 2:10 long it is a great opener after almost a decade of silence.

Second song in and already halfway through the record comes 'West Of Texas (Part 2)' with its mid tempo guitar riffs however with a slightly heavier sound. Although with only 4 songs on the EP each does brings its own to the table. ‘Prettiest Girl’ sounds a little bit more matured then the previous two songs, and once again the familiar sound of early Green Day comes through in the opening instrumental. Then comes closer ‘We Need To Talk, It's Not You, It's Us’ bringing down the tempo and making it feel a whole lot more serious, the lyrics "you’ve been the best crowd so far. It’s time to break up with everybody, time to sever and let go" boasts a sense of feeling that these 4 songs might just be the last we hear from The Frustrators...well let’s hope not.

After almost a decade, 11 short minutes doesn’t quite feel like enough, but to most fans I'm sure it was worth it if only for a short time and let’s be honest, right from the start it was pretty much a given that The Frustrators were not going to be a full time thing. But this is good honest punk rock record and although the lyrics may suggest otherwise, hopefully it won’t be another 9 years before we hear more from The Frustrators.

1. Stigma

2. West Of Texas (Part 2)

3. Prettiest Girls

4. We Need To Talk (It's Not You, It's Us)