Album/EP

Fake Names - Fake Names (EP Review)

Walladmin

Heavy Metal Wordsmith

Aug 6, 2021

7 min read

Fake Names – Fake Names
Released: Out Now

Lineup:

Brian Baker | Guitar/Vocals
Michael Hampton | Guitar/Vocals
Dennis Lyxzen | Vocals
Johnny Temple | Bass

Online:

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Drawing inspiration from their older idols such as Black Flag, The Clash and The Dammed, who would regularly release shorter EP’s between albums, punk supergroup Fake Names have returned from their respective day jobs to give fans a short-but-sweet effort in the form of Fake Names EP.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QqewoEsBCVE

For those new to the band, Fake Names consists of Bad Religion guitarist Brian Baker and long-time friend Michael Hampton, who teamed up in 2016 to see what they could come up with. As luck would have it, they liked what resulted, and enlisted alumni from the eighties so-cal scene Johnny Temple to play bass, and invited Refused vocalist Dennis Lyxzen to join in. The result was their self-titled album in 2020 (which I reviewed here) chock full of a sound that was perfect for lo-fi indie rock fans to crank on their old-school suitcase turntable.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zwh-d1lUz5c

The Fake Names EP continues that flavour, with the expected development of their sound – something straight out of the indie-garage alternative period of the eighties – think The Cult and The Cure in a more unpolished, live to tape feel.

Those looking for that trademark Bad Religion swagger might be a little disappointed, although ‘Running’ is probably the closest it comes to that pop-punk itch you may be looking to scratch, being a little more belted out in a faster tempo.

The other two songs, ‘It Will Take a Lifetime’ and ‘Cut You Down,’ house more of that eighties-alternative style that will no doubt please the fans of that era but mix in a little of the modern sound to helps keep the band from alienating more younger punk rock fans seeking to get their teeth into this kind of style.

For literally ten minutes of your time, Fake Names EP is a quick ride into a garage-indie rabbit hole, and hopefully one day we get to hear a fuzzier version in an underground club somewhere.