Scare Taxi “Death By Music”

Those of us of a certain age will remember when NME tried to manufacture a scene called the ‘new wave of the new wave’. In reality, it only consisted of a few bands with a sort of similar punk sound. Having said that, it did include a brilliant band called These Animal Men. Many years later, it’s great to see Alexander Boag back with a new band, Scare Taxi.

It’s even more pleasing to hear opening track “Things On My Mind” which is a great, sprightly, punk rock n roller. It’s followed by the brilliant “For Our Sisters For Our Brothers”, the kind of call to arms song that The Clash would be proud of. Without wishing to keep harking back to the past, there’s no hiding from the fact that indie punk songs like “If It Bothers You” and “Kicking Down Doors” will definitely appeal to fans of These Animal Men.

Scare Taxi really excel on the songs where they also add a dash of glam to the punk sound. It is impossible to resist the glammy swagger that drives “Get Up-Get Off”. Whilst “The Revelator” keeps that glam feel but has a far more sinister twist (it actually reminds us of the sadly forgotten band Rachel Stamp).

The other thing that sets Scare Taxi apart is the mix of leading vocals. There’s a marked shift in tone on some of the songs where Tara Harley leads. For example, the more electronic and colder feel of “Anna” and “Lunacy” give them an almost Gothic feel. Whilst the creepy sound of “Fly” has us thinking of The Cramps. They certainly add a darker twist to the album.

This is a really great indie punk album which sounds fresh and exciting. It probably could have fitted in with the new wave of the new wave ‘scene’ all those years ago. But that’s basically just because it’s an excellent album that has its roots in punk and rock n roll. Importantly, it also has a sense of inventiveness and excitement to it…something that is even rarer in the music world now than it was back then.