Western Mass has some new punks: Chemical Bags! This past March they released a six track EP titled: For Pleasure.

I like the opening track “Diva”, a mid-tempo rocker that gets the head banging. The guitars sound equal parts jangle and gnarled-ratty tone, imparting more static-like gargled noise than tight, punchy distortion. Sean’s vocals sit somewhere between howling, singing and screaming. “Social Contagion” rails against the hypocritical nature of bigots everywhere. While “Werewolf” is a fucking ripper, and my favorite off this nine and a half minute EP. It’s a toss-me-in-the-pit song, and you can call me any night with that bass feedback dialtone.

Weaving in and out of punk and d-beat tempos on each song, “For Pleasure” makes the case that these guys aren’t a carbon-copy punk band ripping off their influences (and thank god cause we have enough of those.) It’s clearly inspired by punk of old, but there’s a lot of new life and engagement breathed into this. The production hits a sweet spot, a nice emphasis on the guitars and texture. It was a grower on me and I’m glad it has. On the surface, this is punk rock, straight head-banging type stuff. The delivery and attitude is fresh and I’d like to hear where they take this.