Okay, so let’s get confession time out of the way shall we? This is the first time that I’ve sat down and spent any time with a record by The Menzingers, and I don’t know what I was expecting, but it certainly wasn’t what I got. Actually, that’s a lie as I always kind of figured that these chaps would be a high velocity, three or four chord pop punk band, but The Menzingers owe more to Social Distortion and Bruce Springsteen than The Ramones, and while I’m a sucker for the “Brudders from Queens”, it’s no bad thing that The Menzingers sound is rooted in Americana and rock’n’roll instead of the usual (but much loved) punk fare. This is windows down, road tripping music and the kind of record that you play over and over on long summer days, when without a care in the world you load your friends into the car and drive until the sun sets, singing along, laughing and just, you know, enjoying life. After the Party is the soundtrack to, and for, those kind of moments and is a perfect reminder of how good music and life can be. Fuck it, I’m not waiting for summer, I’m gonna grab my keys, do a beer run and hit the road. The Menzingers are calling… Tim Cundle