¡Emergencia! is the debut release from Chicago’s Panther Style. Recorded live, on a 16-track analog tape machine, this album is a prime example of digital music’s shortcomings.
The digital tracks just can’t do justice to the sounds and warmth of this record. It was simply meant to be heard on vinyl.
This record channels some incredible pop and punk music while holding it’s roots in good old fashioned rock and roll from nearly every decade. From The Posies to Sleater-Kinney, you can hear Panther Style’s influences across the entire album.
Chicago rock veterans Jeanne McClure, Al Rodis, Dan Lutger and Melissa Koehl remind us with ¡Emergencia! that rock is alive and well in Chicago.
The album’s lead track “Seeing…Just Not Believing” comes in with a punch. This song sets up the rest of the album with its catchy hook, quick and dirty guitar solo, driving bass and pounding drums.
The second and third tracks on the album offer their own uniqueness. With “Rhino”, Panther Style gives us a more ethereal rock song reminiscent of the Red Hot Chili Peppers with Dave Navarro during the One Hot Minute years.
The album slows down a bit for the fourth track, but with a vocal line that follows the guitar, “Fingers Crossed” is a very catchy song.
Side A goes out with a bang, and Side B comes in with one. “Straight Razor” features some more aggressive vocals as well as distinct punk undertones and palm-muted guitars.
The intro on “Forbidden” features a killer bass line and drum beat. I’m probably the only person that would make this comparison, but the driving bass and drums paired with the melodious vocals remind me of early Blink-182 – somewhere around Cheshire Cat, and make for an incredible dynamic on the track.
“Sex Panther” is another quick and dirty track with lyrics like “A night with me you wont regret, cause what you see is what you get.”
The ninth track, and last original song on the record, “Don’t Say You Will” feels like a ‘90s punk song, and has some incredible aggression during the chorus. The album ends with a cover of The Posies’ track “Blind Eyes Open”.
¡Emergencia!, released in May, is available on digital and CD, but as you already know, I am going to highly recommend that you pick this up on 180 gram vinyl through Panther Style’s BandCamp page.
