"I'm in love with a girl at the zoo, she looks a lot better than a kangaroo." This is the kind of thing you're getting into with this one. Standard Ramones/Screeching Weasel pop-punk from the early 90's, but it's pretty solid. In that genre, you've gotta do something to really stand out from the standard format and the standard sound. Captain Crunch employ some pretty good harmonies and some silly lyrics to try to stand out, and do a moderately good job of making an impression.

Putting the instrumental "Introduction" second on the record was pretty inspired, because instrumental Ramones songs are pretty forgettable. Following that up with the "ballad" Pop Song would be a good way to showcase your singing talent, but that is not a super important facet of Ramones-esque pop-punk and it's understandable that the singer, doesn't excel in note accuracy but perfectly matches the slightly snotty and nasally style required of the genre. Full disclosure: I was in a band with Ian for a little bit and he's genuinely a nice guy from what I remember. I think he gave me both the Captain Crunch records, actually.

The B-side songs continue the Ramonesy stuff, but "New Song" adds in some woah ohs in the background and switches up the singers for a bit of a change. It's an interesting feature that is instantly erased by the awful intro to "Slow Song". Luckily Slow Song doesn't last very long.

The Captain Crunch dudes probably could have left off "Introduction", "Pop Song", and "Slow Song" and earned a 3 from me. I also wish I had the red vinyl 1st press, but... oh well.

If you like this review, you can buy me a coffee.