Beatnik Termites – Taste the Sand
11 songs, released in 1995 on Black Pumpkin Records. It cost me nothing. This band has been around since 1990, and they definitely know their music. The Termites are a great sounding surf punk band that fuse surf music and pop punk to make a very catchy and memorable listening experience. The songs get pretty sappy, but are written well enough to avoid just being mushy. “Denise, Denise” has an oddly familiar sound, like Green Day’s “At the library”. “Angel saw Reggie’s Dick” seems to be their tribute to bands like MOD and DRI. “Half Pipe” sounds like a typical instrumental surf song. “Surf Dancing” sounds too much like an old surf song in its delivery and sound. It quickly grated on my nerves. After the somewhat lacking “Surf Dancing” , the Termites come up with a pseudo-surf love anthem in “Mary Lou.” Its beat is simply infectious. Taste the sand is a good album all around except for “Surf Dancing”. If you like surf and punk rock, buy this, and if you like punk, pick it up for the great songs.
Rating:7/10
John Sargeant, writing on NeuFutur as Sargeant, is the founder and editor-in-chief of NeuFutur Magazine, where he has covered independent music, PC hardware, consumer tech, and gaming culture since 1998. With over 25 years of continuous digital publishing experience, he has written thousands of hands-on game and record reviews, conducted in-depth hardware field testing, and analyzed digital media monetization trends. His work prioritizes first-hand evaluation and long-term product testing.
Beats: Independent Music, PC Gaming & Peripherals, Consumer Tech, Webmaster Tools
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