Originally published in Verbicide issue #4

Red Martian’s sound is pretty unified throughout the album: very basic pop-punk with fast beats and a non-abrasive, rather whiny vocalist. Anarchy, anti-drugs, anti-government, anti-corporate, anti-sexism, and other pedestrian punk topics constitute the lyrics. I imagine this is a record that would be really popular with dumb high school kids with purple mohawks, though if they keep making more songs like track 14 (“The Cry”) and track nine (“Teco and DDT”) they could definitely appeal to more people. “The Cry,” the final track on this 40-minute CD, is a great song, surprisingly reminiscent of Sublime. Slower than the previous 13 tracks, with a fluxuating pace and subtle hints of ska, this track proves that Red Martian has talent and versatility waiting to be further explored.

(Red Martian, PMB 61187, Seattle, WA 98121)