decolonize pop punk! baby got back talk holds nothing back on ‘up in open arms’

The more I learn about reality,
The less I think that keeping it real
Is anything worth bragging about

On their latest EP, Baby Got Back Talk pull one hell of a magic trick: they make pop punk relevant again. There’s never been a shortage of bands with fast hooks and an even quicker wit, but it seems like the louder they shout “defend pop punk!” the harder it is to defend. Baby Got Back Talk’s been around for a few years (formerly just Back Talk), but their latest EP Up In Open Arms swaps out the battle cry for “decolonize pop punk!” and creates their best EP to date.

Up In Open Arms by babygotbacktalk

Opening with a proudly anti-realist anthem, Up In Open Arms is heavy on the sharp turns of phrase and sharp commentary. Songs like “Thanks for the Angst” and “I Guess This Is Glowing Up” color in break-up tales with conflict and depth that belies the puns. But they save their sharpest knives for “Guilty of Being Tight,” a song that skewers punk rock’s sacred cows, most notably Minor Threat’s notorious nadir. It’s a song that takes the straight white dudes of punk to task for having little to say beyond “fuck you I do what I want,” and hopes to burn the scene down to build something better from its ashes. And it doesn’t hurt that it’s tight as hell too.

Photo by Selina Stoane