In Rotation: The Cheap Dates - Piss Away Another God Damn Year

Driving really is the scourge of the punk community. It's bad for the environment, it forces the driver to regularly support big ugly corporations and those are not even the worst parts. There sure are a lot of stupid people on the road. Driving other cars, looking at their phones, walking right out in the middle of the road like they own the place. The Offspring told us about this in 1994 on "Bad Habit." Chicago's The Cheap Dates open their debut EP by siding with Dexter in a much less cutesy way on "Daily Commute." The refrain "daily commute killing spree" is a 9-to-5-core anthem (ahem).

The Cheap Dates started up last year, bringing together three members of The Stockyards and one member of Firing Squad. Full disclosure for any readers who are unaware, my brother is in this band so there is a forecast of moderate to severe bias in this review. The band released a set of demos last year, which included two of the songs that appear on Piss Away Another God Damn Year. Those songs - "I'm Staying Here" and "She's In Love With A Rock N Roll Girl" - benefit from the re-recording. This release is much more polished in its recording quality. It is also getting a physical release in the form of 100 piss yellow cassettes.

Driving comes up again on "DUI or DIE", during which the narrator drunkenly drives from party to party. For the most part, the EP focuses on The Cheap Dates' hardcore side with Danny on lead vocals for all seven songs. "She's In Love With A Rock N Roll Girl" remains my favorite track here. The song piles on verses telling the story of two girls who meet at a club. This song diligently progresses on, never returning to repeat anything until a chorus does arrive at the end. Most of the vocals on this song are sung and it feels like an exercise in smart restraint to keep the screamed section as brief as it is and to never revisit it.

The Cheap Dates play at the House Cafe in DeKalb on Friday with Lester & The Finks, Hamstrings and The Ratigans. They open for folk punk heroes Mischief Brew on Sunday at Fizz Bar in Chicago. Head to their bandcamp page to stream or download the EP. Watch the video for "I'm Staying Here" below.