With the band's name, and song titles like "How to Cook for 40 Humans" (a total Simpsons reference), "Your Job Does Not Rock Balls" and "Skate or Die Two is Going to be Awesome When It Comes Out", I had a feeling that I was about to hear something goofy and tongue-in-cheek. That initial impression does not fit the band at all.
Witches With Dicks hails from Boston, a town with a long-running tradition of gritty street punk from bands like the Ducky Boys, Dropkick Murphys and the Street Dogs. Witches With Dicks fits comfortably in this description. Their sound is gruff, gritty and blue-color, with relentless guitar riffs and hoarse vocals. It's pretty, but not polished.
Lyrically, while their song titles may give the impression of humor or goofiness, the titles have little bearing on the songs, and the band is incredibly straight-forward, sticking with the tried-and-true street punk themes of staying true to yourself and yearning for something more than the day to day.
The only thing that prevents this band from disappearing into the ranks of all the other street punk bands out there is the fact that they execute it so well and sound like they're enjoying it as they go. In its short duration (the 10-song album comes in at just under 20 minutes), Witches with Dicks provide passionate fist-pumping anthems like "It's Not Me It's You" and happy little quirks like the hints of organ in "Die Painfully", all elements that help these guys push their way in front of the pack just a bit.
As far as street punk bands go, you can find a few bands that do it a little better, and a lot that do it a whole lot worse, but you're going to be hard-pressed to find too many bands that are this passionate about it, or that provide this much addictive punk rock in such a short duration.
