The Influents
Adeline Records
Can punk rockers grow up and become more "mature" without selling out? The Influents give notice that they most definitely can with their warm, rootsy pop-punk, which, honestly, is a whole lot more "pop" than it is "punk." And, unless you're the sort of person who can't listen to anything that doesn't lacerate your eardrums, that's a good thing. Working in the rough, tuneful style of The Replacements and the old Lemonheads and Soul Asylum of the '80s, The Influents value melody over aggression, and focus their songs on the many shades of gray which color human relationships instead of the high-contrast black and white of social and political injustices.
This is notable because The Influents feature a number of fellows who play or have played in some much noisier pop-punk bands (which were definitely more "punk" than "pop"), including Pinhead Gunpowder, Chino Horde, Ashtray Babyhead, Monsula, Uranium 9-Volt, The Receivers, and Green Day. The band recorded its excellent debut LP, Check Please (so named because so many band practices tended to devolve into going out for dinner and drinks), in 2000.
Jesse Ashlock
last updated:
04/15/02
Similar Artists:
The Replacements, The Lemonheads, Soul Asylum, Buffalo Tom, Redd Kross
Other Suggestions:
J Mascis and The Fog,
Dinosaur Jr.,
Husker Du,
Pavement,
Centro-Matic,
Built To Spill,
Cheap Trick,
Royal Trux,
Teenage Fanclub,
Jellyfish,
Gumball,
TW Walsh,
Kevin Salem,
The Dambuilders,
Anastasia Screamed,
Alex Chilton,
Shuggie,
Jackpot,
Chino,
The Nils,
Treepeople,
Petrol,
The Embarrassment
