Dirt & Dust Review - Steve Beebee (UK)

The aptly named Anti-Fashion occupy a particularly glorious corner of rock music, and one that's been sorely overlooked in recent years. There's something risky about them; dangerous, even. 

This debut album is melodic while being sleazy, entertaining while being punk-trashy. Hanoi Rocks were the masters of this, and while Anti-Fashion can comfortably slot in with that brash aesthetic, they perhaps have more in common with Swedish legends Backyard Babies, songs like 'Drag Me Down', 'Going Nowhere' and the beat-heavy 'Let Love Rule' keeping things moving at giddy pace. Those riffs are ridiculously catchy, matched by the killer hooks - swaggering vocals from Rob Cass mate perfectly with six-string menace from guitarists JJ Watt and Los Angeles punk rock veteran Frank Meyer. 

There's a genuine outsider spirit to 'She's The One' with its energising time changes, while 'No Escape' even has echoes of Dogs D'Amour's grizzled and broken soul. More than anything, they sound like a band rather than a product. So who'd want to be fashionable when you can be Anti-Fashion?

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