Java.FEB.2017

Playboy Manbaby really put their all into this record,
and it was critically timed to release just after a
new president took office. Their last album, Electric
Babyland, was recorded, mixed, mastered and
released in 24 hours in December 2014. Don’t Let It
Be is a stunning contrast in terms of the two albums’
production methods. For the first time, Playboy
Manbaby has captured the energy, spirit and raw
vitality of their live show. It’s a damn difficult thing
to do in a studio, but somehow they pulled it off with
Don’t Let It Be.
In case you’re unfamiliar with Playboy Manbaby,
they’ve been putting out some of the most exciting
music on the scene since 2012 and could easily lay
claim to the title of “Best Live Band in Phoenix.” I first
saw them before they released their debut EP at Long
Wong’s Firehouse on Apache, and they already had
a huge following. It was some of the most original
music I had heard in ages, and the tightly packed
crowd was slam dancing as best they could. These
days it’s the same, but they sell out Crescent and
Valley Bar.
Playboy Manbaby consists of Robbie Pfeffer (vocals),
Chris Hudson (bass), TJ Friga (guitar), David Cosme
(trumpet), Austin Rickert (sax) and Chad Dennis
(drums), and what these six men have created is their
preeminent album at long last. I’m hoping this is the
first of many to follow and that the rest of the world
catches on to their sound.
With its clever title and lyrics, Don’t Let It Be is
some of the finest socially conscious punk since
the days when Jello Biafra led the Dead Kennedys
through the 1980s. Playboy Manbaby kicks off the
record with their finest single to date, “You Can Be
a Fascist Too,” which was released on November 9
of last year. Let’s hope that new listeners understand
its wry commentary when they hear it. Musically
speaking, it’s filled with perfectly raging guitars, a
manic furious pace, wild horns and amusing backup
vocals. It’s a perfect punk anthem for the dawning of
a new age. From the opening lyrics“Society’s in the
gutter man, it’s really in the pits. Wouldn’t the world
be better without those undesirable bits?”to the
ending chant of “I am right. I am correct” the tune is
as amusing as it is haunting. It’s almost as if it was
written with our new leader in mind, and from his
perspective, to boot.
The album shifts gears immediately and introduces
“Last One Standing” with a vibe akin to ’60s beachbeat
music, evoking a spy theme with its bouncing
guitars and horn work throughout. It’s like a Herb
Alpert/Hal David tune on Dexedrine. Pfeffer rages as
ever, but this music is far from punk. It’s not all about
punk anthems here. It’s more about an ever-changing
musical landscape that is a showcase for the varying
environments to highlight Pfeffer’s signature vocal
delivery. He is as much a performer as a musician,
and that comes across on this record. It is another
politically conscious tune, but a bit less sharply
honed. While the music is uplifting, the lyrics are
neurotic and rightfully paranoid.
The musical acuity continues on “Bored, Broke &
Sober,” where ska becomes a way of life and the
level of songwriting and arrangement is even more
apparent. Cosme’s trumpet alone would make this
a great track, but the rest of the band creates a
pure delight. It may be the first Playboy Manbaby
track where I find myself more intrigued by the
music and the composition than Pfeffer’s tales of
modern neuroses.
“Cadillac Car” has a bit more of a garage-rock vibe,
and things get a little darker in tone. It expresses
dissatisfaction with the nine-to-five grind, at first, and
then the situations become more comically perverse.
Still, you’re going to cling to the chorus change of
“I wanna Cadillac car, a new hair do, I wanna go to
work and tell my boss, fuck you!” Every minute is
filled with the urgency and rage of that chorus, upon
which the rest of the song spins.
Hudson’s bass line for “Self-Loathing in Bright
Clothing” could have been lifted straight out of a
Black Flag song, and it sets you up for the hardcore
action ahead. This is a fantastic rager with slam
dancing in mind. For any “over thinkers” out there or
anyone plagued by anxiety, the chorus of this track is
your mantra: Pfeffer screams, “I can’t breathe, I can’t
talk, my mind needs, to just stop.” It’s completely
relatable. Whether you hate yourself or not, this is
the perfect tune to sum up the feeling that the only
exit would be an early death.
Playboy Manbaby takes on beach blanket bingo
with “Cheap Wine,” about the joys of being poor
and drunk, with the chorus, “I don’t wanna waste
my time, I’d rather get wasted and say I’m fine.” At
the core of the song is fantastic surf-tinged pop. It is
complete satire about the damned who think they can
drink their problems away. Pfeffer delivers the vocal
so you can relate, but also so you can maybe think
about what he’s saying with a wink and a grin.
“Popular” is an outright attack on everyone’s image
on social media and the superficial gratification of
it all. Friga’s guitar is on fire here, and the lyrics
are delivered like a machine gun—easily one of
my favorites live, and it comes off perfectly on the
record. It’s a complete indictment of a generation
living their lives in pursuit of online popularity, and
finding themselves empty offline.
The band takes on a Cramps-like approach on “I’m
So Affluent,” while mixing in fascinating backup
vocals that provide a psychobilly, spaghetti-Western
vibe. It’s like punk rock for the Wild West. You can
make your own associations about the refrain, “I’m
so affluent, it must mean I’m intelligent,” but it’s an
obvious attack on the ruling elite and the billionaire
boys club. It’s also as much about the plight of the
working class and the working poor.
“Oprichniki” is another lighter tune musically, with
flourishes of 1960s pop mixed with their spunky punk
approach to everything. The horns are bright, the
guitars are on fire, and Pfeffer attacks the post-truth
era with, “When there’s a hundred different versions
of the truth, it’s a brand new revelation, it’s a thing
you can follow now.” You can make your checks
payable to any truth you want to believe these days.
The amusingly titled “Don Knotts in a Wind Tunnel”
is possibly the most fantastic rager on the record, and
maybe it seems that way to me because it’s the one
I’ve heard the least. It’s as tongue in cheek as it is a
pointed attack and has such a broad reach it could
be about anyone, but Pfeffer makes it feel like it’s
directed at someone specifically. Early on in the
song, the theme becomes “I don’t hate the world,
I hate humanity,” which is not a difficult concept
to understand lately, with the world being such a
“fucked-up place.” This is actually too vicious to
be amusing.
You wouldn’t expect the album to finish with a nod
to Tom Waits, but that’s exactly what they do with
“White Jesus.” Though the guitars explode from time
to time, especially at the end, this could have been
an outtake from Bone Machine. It’s a complete attack
on the hypocrisy of American Christians, urging
them, “Don’t waste your life in a fantasy, God quit
his job today, he wants to watch the world filled with
flames.” It’s the perfect ending.
Now that we have an actual playboy manbaby as our
president, the emergence of Playboy Manbaby as a
musical force is more necessary than ever. Be sure
to celebrate the release of this record on Lollipop
Records (US) and Dirty Water Records (UK) at the
Trunk Space on February 25, and pick up a copy of
this landmark release.
JAVA 31
MAGAZINE