DS Album Review: The Raging Nathans – “Still Spitting Blood”
Within the last few years, The Raging Nathans has been pushing out work one right after another. They released the full-length album Waste My Heart along with two splits and a single in 2021, a compilation album earlier this year, and now for the cherry on top a full-length album Still Spitting Blood. Do the Nathans do anything other than touring and making music these days? Probably not; I bet they are currently working on pumping out other singles and splits to soothe our aching pop-punk withdrawals. This type of consistency has not been missed once and they don’t look like they’re going to stop.
This album has banger after banger from start to finish—this is unadulterated quintessential pop-punk. Carrying over from their last album Waste My Heart, where they have tuned into their more melodic/pop side which has sprinkled into the album Still Spitting Blood with just the right touch. Without question, The Raging Nathan’s haven’t forgotten the punk in this album at all and it pulls you right back into a sweaty night shouting lyrics into a mic pointed at the crowd. Anthems like “Nothing I Can Do,” “Still Spitting Blood,” and “Head in a Hole” fill this album with raging joy.
Diving into “Fucked Olympia” with its soft John Hughes suburban snow banked lyrics coupling to the layers of guitar riffs that propel one another into sweet, sweet harmony. It is an unforgettable mix of what complex talent resides in Raging Nathans. This is kind of sound is what you find influences other bands in the scene to make music. True kings of experimenting with their sound without being so overly offensive that lose the ears of their fans.
You cannot argue with the sentiments in lyrics found in “The Lime Pit” or “The Answer (Smoke ‘Em)” like a hand from a friend just slapping you on your back with support to continue on in your best fight with the impending doom around you. This album is packed with the nostalgia you needed with that new sound you didn’t know you were looking for from Raging Nathans.
This album’s upbeat tempo paired with its combative guitaring and fantastic vocals– lead and backing, really tributes that this is some of the best work to come from The Raging Nathans. That is not a knock on their past material; they are that band that keeps getting better with every album. It is something in the guitar & lyrics that match the aggressive spirit of Propagandhi with a light twist and that essential pop sound from The Ramones just blended together so perfectly, just making every song of this album consumable from start to finish.
Two songs are out now and one is yet to be released later this week on the band’s Bandcamp page. “Still Spitting Blood” and “Nothing I can do” are some shining examples of what is yet to be heard on this album. Pre-order the digital album or wait for its release in December of this year.