Bella Wreck – s/t CD

This CD reissue is an attempt to rectify one of rock & roll’s many injustices. Bella Wreck’s vinyl-only debut appeared in 2013, where it remained for the most part due to lack of wider exposure, despite the exceptional material etched into its grooves. Listening to this album is like unearthing a stack of killer lost Australian garage-punk 45’s from the 80’s. Sydney-to-Berlin transplant Dave Thomas and his German comrades combine Radio Birdman riffs and New York Dolls swagger with power-pop hooks and a jolt of Detroit high-energy, yielding hot, sweaty and fun rock & roll the way the gods meant it to be.
The songs are consistently high-quality: catchy adrenalized odes to dimly lit Kreuzberg dives and bad girls who steal your heart then your car. Lead-off track “Can’t You See” could be one of the best tracks Hüsker Dü never recorded. “Untold Fury”, “Fun” and “Vienna” drive like Mad Max, propelled by the Thomas-Freudenberg dual-piston riff machine. And if the Thundersesque “Trash” doesn’t get your ass shakin’, call an ambulance. If that ain’t enough for ya, we’ve added two unreleased bonus tracks that will make you wonder how many more gems these guys have stashed away, waiting to see the light of day.

I didn’t hear this record until 2018, and it spent more time on my turntable than any other that year, so I decided to give it the second life it deserves. Music this good needs to be shared and celebrated, so see you down at the Wiener Blut!