Indonesian Junk “S/T”

When a band’s bio opens us with the words “big hooks and big riffs is what Indonesian Junk are all about” it inevitably catches our attention. The references to power pop, glam and punk also ensures they tick a lot of our boxes, especially when they combine those genres to dish out ‘street-pop shakers’.
Straight from the opening track, “Shake It With You” it is quite clear that Indonesian Junk are a rock n roll band with a swagger. Indeed, when we first heard “Indonesia” we had to double check to make sure we hadn’t skipped on to a New York Dolls song by mistake! They go back even further with “Shelly, Shelly (Don’t Break My Heart)”, which is like The Rolling Stones at their most debaucherous.
They hit a dirty, sleazy peak with the brilliant “Little Malibu”, a song which is both raw and melodic at the same time. Things then get a little brighter with the more throwaway sound of “Out Of Love”. Although in contrast, “So Alone” has a far harder and more intense sound that, sadly for us, briefly interrupts the rock n roll sound of the album. The band are soon back on form with the straight forward punk of “You Messed Me Up” with its Johnny Thunders’ riffs. They even add a bit more seventies glam feel with the stop/start style of “I’m So Bad”.
In a world full of squeaky clean, commercialised music, it’s great to hear an album which is really just a dirty rock n roll record. There’s a messy, throwaway feel to it, but it doesn’t cheapen the quality of the songs. We’re not talking about an album that will change the world. Instead, it follows the same well-trodden path of some truly great bands e.g. The Stones, New York Dolls and Hanoi Rocks, and that’s good enough for us!