aaamusic | On 27, May 2012

Get your best skanking boots on, The Ex Senators have some dirty punk rock n roll for you here, with a killer bassline, gritty vocals and whipcrack-tight drumming. ‘Start A Fight’ is a quality track that Rancid in their heyday would be proud to have created. It has the same frenetic energy and love of a solid rock song that Rancid had, albeit with a classic rock groove and slickness all of its own. From the adrenalin-jolt intro to the last bass run it’s one hell of a well-written track that you can’t help but move to and sing along with, although as much as the band emphasise its political side, I can’t find much politics in it beyond a rebel without a cause style dissatisfaction that a lot of punk still holds.
Howie Beno’s Anarchy UK remix is actually a rather interesting beast, a heady techno track that borders on industrial in its relentless beats and abrasive guitars, with a lot more thought put into it that the usual dance treatment, as this one pays attention to the original song’s breakdown and rock song structure yet adds more than enough of its own touches.
I guess there isn’t a massive amount here that isn’t evidently indebted to other bands and artists, or indeed a definitive statement that you’d half-expect given the word surrounding the song, but The Ex Senators have stuck their heads above the parapet with a rather good song here. It might not change the world as they hoped, but it’ll definitely catch a few ears.

★★★★★

Katie H-Halinski