The Brides “Suburban Vermin” 1996-98/2024. Hozac Records. Comp of the 90’s era Chicago-area garage punks; their only previous releases are a couple of singles from the late 90’s/early 2000’s. We caught The Brides last month up in Green Bay at the GBUFO Invasion Fest. Because my recollection of the late 90’s is fuzzy at best, I have no idea if we saw them play out back then. If we did it was probably because they were touring with/opening for some other 90’s garage punk band and made the 90 minute drive up the freeway to Milwaukee. I’m fairly certain they played some, if not most, of the songs on Suburban Vermin since their recording catalog is pretty small but what exists is pretty killer. My top tracks on Suburban Vermin include the two songs from their debut single (1997 on Rip Off Records) “Pushed Around” b/w “Get to You.” Another great track is “Waiting for You” which is the b-side to their 1999 single “Bad Attitude” (also on Rip Off Records) – a terrific garage punk anthem. Their cover of “Everybody Needs Somebody” is wild; it’s from a 1996 demo tape and sounds like what the (mythical Chicagoans) Blues Brothers would have done if they were punks. There are a couple of live songs on Suburban Vermin, recorded at Fireside Bowl (Chicago) and they’re raw, angry and fun: “Radio Suicide” and “I Juvenile.” I’m not sure if The Brides recent shows are an all-out reunion or a few one-offs but if they swing back through the area, I’ll definitely check them out again.