Cosmic Psychos “Blokes You Can Trust” 1991. Amphetamine Reptile Records. We got the chance to see these veteran Australian punks last night at the Rave in Milwaukee; they are touring with fellow (much younger) Aussies The Chats. What a show! Hilarious, energetic, totally rocking.

Blokes You Can Trust was their third release; it’s got some super-heavy production in the line of its contemporary grunge releases; it was recorded and mixed at Smart Studios in Madison, WI and Butch Vig is one of the producers so that sound makes total sense. (Also: another amazing recording done in Madison while I was living there and had absolutely no clue that was happening practically down the street!) My top tracks are “Loser,” a sort of classic punk theme and sound, the super-speed angry punk’d “Nightshift” that also has a ton of dark heavy metal elements, “Hooray Fuck” is a hilarious grungy punk anthem and another punk-meets-metal rager “Never Grow Old.” I’d say that this album sounds like a dead-ringer for Mudhoney but Cosmic Psychos, who first got together in ’85 but were playing in punk bands since the early 80’s, predates that whole grungy scene.