Sometimes, the “punk” thing to do is to disengage the damn trolls.
Sticky Bong Water (aka SBW, self-proclaimed “shitty punk rock”) is your friendly neighborhood punk band from Huntsville, Alabama. A raucous group of misfits, they’ve yet again created a loud, raw, and cathartic sound in a recent release. “Shut It Off” is about the doomscrolling hellscape that is modern-day news cycles and social media, and just how much it can make you wanna lose your mind.
Like any unapologetic punk track, the power-chord criticisms unmistakably express the pent-up and repetitive frustrations of dealing with assholes, this time the ones online that are “always looking for a fight.”
The rugged and gritty vocals lament over beautiful vocalizing in the background, highlighting perhaps the most punk values found in the entire song:
“Don’t want to lose my mind
Don’t want to unkind
Don’t want to seem uptight
Don’t want to fight tonight”
Believe it or not, I really wouldn’t consider this “shitty punk music.” As much as I disagree with the literal description, they got that authentic punk sound that people really love in a “shitty” band. The production is really clean, but nothing too fancy or fake. It’s not stuck in a box, stale, or overly polished.
Best of all, the sentiments in their song “Shut It Off” authenticate the punk spirit behind the song. It’s a rejection of the viciousness of online bickering and hatred, while preserving the humanity in wanting to be kind despite the assholes of the world. Hell yeah, Sticky Bong Water.
