Spanking Charlene “Find Me Out”

As sad as it may be, if you watched Neighbours as a teenage boy in the 80s/90s that band name is bound to put a childish smirk on your face! Thankfully such immature thoughts are put away as soon as the album kicks off with the title track “Find Me Out”, a great little rocker.

Things get even better with the unbelievably catchy “I Don’t Wanna Go There” which blends power pop and rock like a modern Cheap Trick. Together with songs like “Burn It Down” and “Whiplash” there are plenty of songs on here to please those of us who like their rock sprinkled with catchy hooks and choruses. They also throw in a touch of the blues on the hypnotic “Circles”.

As the name may imply, Spanking Charlene are also capable of getting a bit saucy at times. The most obviously example is the brilliant seductive “Sugar Love”. A song that will leave you feeling weak at the knees. That seduction continues with the almost jazz/swing sound of “Can’t Let You Go” a song to be played under low lighting.

The album then shifts again with the fantastic garage power pop of “Too Broke To Go Out” which is super catchy and has lyrics we can surely all relate to. “Got A Runner” sees them adding a funk beat to keep your head shaking. That’s before it all ends with the delirious “Liar Liar”, a track that goes all over the place in a kind of jazz/rock explosion (it’s a lot better than that sounds!).

This is indeed a ‘spanking’ album. It’s a bit cheeky and a hell of a lot fun. Perhaps not surprisingly it had us thinking about a band like Blondie. They’re great rock songs that aren’t afraid to add some big pop sounds to the mix. In many ways the perfect getting ready to go out on a Friday night album.