The Big Iron‘s We Will Fall sounds like the ’80s, but not the one you remember. This isn’t the 1980s of synth-pop, New Wave, or yacht rock — the Big Iron are the sound of VFW shows, of the bands documented in Our Band Could Be Your Life, of the punk rock underground.
We Will Fall hits every sweet spot of diverse influences you could possibly hope for. “Climate Refugee” rocks it Agent Orange surf-punk style, “Past the Pavement” pays homage to Lawrence punk rock mecca the Outhouse with anthemic SST-style … argh.
It’s fun to play “spot the influences,” but it’s ultimately reductive of the Big Iron’s sound to do so. Their songs aren’t so much in the vein of “this is the Husker Du one, that’s the Naked Raygun song,” as they are the sum influences of guys who have been playing rock ‘n’ roll music for decades, and those influences are the foundation upon what this album is built.
And holy fucking shit — can we just talk about how good the title track is? It wouldn’t do for a band called the Big Iron not to have some country in there, and the twangy gothic sturm und drang of “We Will Fall” has become one of about three songs this year that I’ve obsessed over, playing again and again and again, to the detriment of the rest of the album.
The whole album is just a powerhouse. Knowing the bands from which all of these guys come, I’m completely unsurprised by how strong this sounds, but the way it all comes together is just wonderful. It really puts the rock in punk rock when you have two guitarists, instead of just one, so the band’s got that full, Bad Religion kind of sound.
What really impresses me about the Big Iron’s work on We Will Fall is that it’s not just an old-school punk album. It could’ve been, easily, but the band’s not afraid to work in a song like “Trees Explode,” which is a slow, dirty piece of work that uses huge drum hits to work a desperate, dangerous groove. It’s fucking intense.
The Big Iron plays an in-store release party at Kansas City’s Mills Record Co. this Saturday, JUne 14, along with Lucky Graves and Freight Train Rabbit Killer. The show starts at 7:30pm, is all ages, and free.
You can get the Big Iron’s We Will Fall as a digital download from iTunes, or go to Mills Record Co. in Westport to get a copy on vinyl — although, I’m sure that if you hit the band up on Facebook, they’ll get you a copy of this monster piece of wax. The lyric sheet and band photo inside are wonderful. Get this.