Song of the Day: “Anti-Social” by Watermelon

Song of the Day: “Anti-Social” by Watermelon

Think of Chicago trio Watermelon as garage Ramonescore. That’s because they’d sound more at home on, say, Slovenly than a revived Lookout Records.* Instead, their self-titled debut came last summer via another outsider rock powerhouse in San Antonio’s Dirt Cult Records.

Clocking in at less than a minute and a half, “Anti-Social” begins the album with an energy (and an attitude) comparable to “We’re a Happy Family” and other timeless Ramones gems. Usually, comparisons to the Beatles of punk rock feel a little too on the nose, and such praise might be an unfair expectation to place on any band. On the flipside, it’s accurate, and a group with a song titled “Johnny Ramone” (which deliciously calls him out his shit) obviously wears their primary influence on their sleeves. And if the likes of Shonen Knife (yay!) and The Queers (ew) can forge their own identity, so can Watermelon.

Back to Dirt Cult, their more recent catalog features not just reissued music by the Australian band X but also the totally in our wheelhouse work of High School, Taxi Girls and Cut Piece.

* No shade at Lookout because they’re responsible for this.

READ MORE: Song of the Day: “Punk City USA” by Warp