Sprocket Wheel - Stand By Me 7"

Brassneck (2023)

When I first discovered Snuffy Smile records in Japan it felt like the marquee bands were Lovemen, Blew, Navel and Sprocket Wheel.  At least, that's how I saw things.  I started off buying split 7"s they had with other bands that I liked such as Hooton 3 Car, Chopper, Goober Patrol, Travis Cut and Less Than Jake.  Blew and Lovemen also both had full albums on Snuffy Smile (Navel;s would follow a couple of years later).  Sprocket Wheel didn't have that Snuffy Smile full length, and after a while they sort of faded out of my view since I wasn't seeing anything new from them.  

At the time, I didn't know they had released a full length and an EP on their own.  It wasn't until many years later that I got a hold of those songs.  So while I was not as familiar with their discography for as long as some of those other Snuffy bands, I caught up eventually.

And that's why I was pleased as punch to see that Sprocket Wheel had started playing some shows in Japan over the last couple of years.  Though I was pretty shocked to find out that they were putting out a new 7".  I mean, you can't even get The Urchin to put out more songs, but now we have new stuff from Sprocket Wheel?  Crazy.

And I'm pleased as punch to report that the songs on this 7" are absolutely fantastic.  Aside from the recording quality being improved a little bit, the three new original songs sound like they could have been plucked from the band in 1995 at the height of there powers.  There's also a fourth cover song on the 7" of the Christmas so.g Feliz Navidad which is fun, but can't hold a candle to the originals.

Those originals are exactly the sort of melodic punk rock that I live for and that I rarely hear any more.  It hits that sweet spot that I'm always looking to hit ever since finding this music back in the 90s.  I cannot possibly say enough good things about these songs and I hope against hope that it's just the first in many new recordings that the band puts out.  

Sprocket Wheel - Stand By Me:
https://brassneckrecords.bandcamp.com/album/stand-by-me