Chubby and the Gang - The Mutt's Nuts

After a debut that felt like being strapped to the front of an out-of-control rollercoaster, Chubby and The Gang have wasted no time in coming straight back for more with ‘The Mutt’s Nuts’. Once again merging hardcore and punk with a ton of other spicy flavours, it is immediate proof that this gang are much, much more than just a moment of excitement exploding amongst the monotony of a lockdown.

Fiercely wearing its politics from the off, it’s a vital and ferocious beast of a record. From the snarling anger at a life working for one rich person so you can afford to pay the rent for another, or the disdain for a society that often offers a shortcut from school to prison, it’s an album that is (rightfully) angry at this what sorry state of a government provides to many. But while the temperature of the rage might be red hot, it’s delivered with a white cool calm. Not a single song outstays it’s welcome by a single second, as it races through life in the city in a series of snapshots that show London in all its glory, and its despair.

It’s a view of the city just as far removed from the picture postcards as it is the cartoon violence of much modern media. The potential for sudden violence hangs around every corner, but so does a beautiful sunrise. Joy lives here too, the 1-2 of the emotional ‘Take Me Home To London’ and ‘Life On The Bayou’ taking an abrupt left-turn down a completely different musical direction. You might think you know exactly how this record will sound all the way through, and you’d be dead wrong. A record that manages to be chaotic, exciting, exhilarating, scary and fierce all at the same time, just like its spiritual home. This gang is fast becoming one you wanna be in.