One To Watch – Astpai

It is refreshing when you find a band that breaks the trend. Modern punk bands seem to mainly drift towards the ever-growing bland mass of whining hardcore and pop-punk. These bands all sound the same. Astpai don’t.

They are cut from the same cloth as Rancid and Minor Threat. They write songs about things that matter, good songs. Good songs which, for the most part, are punk as it should be, fast, powerful but not overcrowded or unintelligible.

This Austrian band know what they are doing. Their most recent record ‘Efforts and Means’ balances fun with seriousness, energy with refrain. ‘Biting Dogs Don’t Chew’ and ‘Give Us Today Our Daily Bread, Cars And Flatscreens’ are typical of Astpai at their best.

How they aren’t huge already is a mystery. Their material is available to listen to via their website at astpai.org.

Listen to Astpai ‘Biting Dogs Don’t Chew’

By Dan Barnes
@cobaines