Family Average: 5/7

Its the tip of the cheesy ice berg. The delicious cheesy nacho shaped ice berg. Top Nachos is serving up hot pure goof punk from the far away land of upstate New York, New Paltz to be even more specific. Thats what we do here. We get all the details right. That might be a lie actually we get a lot of stuff wrong. What is not a lie though is this review! It is real and just below all these other words.

Listen along on Their Bandcamp and read on to find out:

Wow, Darkside sure sounds a whole lot more stoney the second time around! Oh, that’s ‘cause this version is actually written by Top Nachos. Bold move to name the album this haha. Right off the bat with the intro track singing about killer Vegan Doughnuts to asking if you want a “Punk Vacation” I think you get the gist that these guys don’t take themselves too seriously. And I’m fucking here for it man. Too many bands are too serious.

The music is a little more raw and unpolished but reminded me sort of Sum 41 or Weezer even. Overall, pretty creative, pretty fun. This album was a breath of fresh (cheesy, nacho) air.

4/7

Before listening, I was a bit wary of the essence of this band.

But, as soon as the first song, “Vegan Doughnuts,” started, I had nothing against it, it's nice.

This track had an interesting breakdown starting with the introduction of a little acoustic guitar.

“Frens” I like. Reminds me of like the kind of oldish punk that I like. Kind of British, like the friendly kind, like The Misfits, the Addicts, with the voice. But they're talking about likes and using words like “lit”

“Frens are watching what ya do, what ya say.”  I like this aware little societal satire they’ve got going on.

Different, that this is punk that is all social media-centered but then again maybe not. It's the punk relevant to today.

They are funny for sure.

Got a bit old towards the end, but still a solid album.

5/7

There is a lot to be said about a band that sets out to make “Fun” music that doesn't piss you off. Some of the most cringe-inducing experiences I have had at shows come from bands that I could tell thought they were a lot more “Fun” than they were. Thank the peeps Top Nacho gets it. They cracked the code. They have the musical talent to back up their silly attitude, which helps make me feel like I'm in on the joke. I get vibes of other musicians like Jeff Rosenstock and FIDLAR. You can totally imagine how well this music plays for a bunch of drunk people pogo dancing, shouting out the relatable words in the chorus. Has someone invented a name for this kind of singing yet? I am genuinely curious as it has a very distinct sound. Not the whiny emo pop, but also not the curt and rushed punk sound. It falls somewhere in between. They coin the term “Goof Punk” on their bandcamp so maybe we can just go with that.

6/7

Top Nacho hails from New Paltz, a locale known for a certain music scene. I've become kind of familiar with the sound of a lot of bands upstate, but have to say they’ve got something special. These guys call themselves GOOF PUNK, which I think is pretty accurate. I also appreciate the blatant and slightly insolent reference to Pink Floyd. With a bite-y garage sound, they follow in the punk tradition without taking themselves too seriously. Dealing with everything from the munchies to social media, the tracks are campy and punchy, fitting the bill for some solid singalong pop. I’m also getting some Bad Religion and Ramones vibes -- is it just me or does “Frens” sound kinda like the "Blitzkrieg Bop" for our generation…? Regardless, these are definitely party tracks to blast in someone’s *dank* basement (Ha. Get it?), and I’m here for it.

5/7

I’ve probably said it before but I like when a band has personality and doesn’t take itself too seriously. I’ve never seen the term they have on their page, “Goof Punk,” but I think that encapsulates the style really well. The instruments are messy, but they’re still coherent. The vocalist has that gritty distortion, but it’s used as an accent rather than a crutch. He sometimes had a Ramones feel to his inflections for his vocals, which as a punk band makes sense. The tracks all had a fast pace to them, so it was driving enough to keep your attention at least somewhat. They had fun with the lyrics too, so you found yourself trying to hear them more rather than just phoning in. The one about the dog getting “more likes” than the mom caught my attention. It got just a tinge pretentious at times though. Like, in an “everyone in society is a superficial poser that is obsessed with social media” kind of way. The lyrics were a bit on the nose sometimes in this regard. Like the lines in "Canada" about the “orange man” with “tiny hands” which was like okay this can only really be about one person who’s making everyone want to move to Canada. But when the lyrics do hit they're a hoot.

5/7

These guys have a English or Irish Punk quality to them, that is very charming. The remind me of fans at a soccer game singing in almost a military fashion. I particularly liked “Frens”, “Posted a picture of my dog while I was giving it a walk It got mad likes”. This is alerts us to how social medial has affected our lives the refrain, “Friends are watch you” has deep meaning,  it captures both the benefits of social media as well as the obligation and the baggage that comes along with it. There is a humorous them that runs through out. Beer Smoking pot taking pictures and Grandparents. The lyrics are down right silly and the music is punk yet whimsical at the same time. These guy are a rip and they don’t take anything serious. You cant help but to adore them. I want to adopt them and have them live next door toy someone I do not like. Their sophomoric humor appeals to me, I get what they are doing and I really like it.

6/7