The Babalooneys - Late to the Party! (2024) Hi-Res

Charleston’s Yes Flag brings together Devin McCurdy (vocals, bass), Ben Wroblewski (guitar, vocals), and Cletus drummer Scott Price. The trio recently hit Denver’s Black In Bluhm studio with Chris Fogal to record their debut album Grand Bystander. Luke McNeill handled mastering duties, and his bands (Hospital Job, Robot Bachelor, Starter Jackets, The Copyrights) offer a solid reference point for Yes Flag’s sound.

Grand Bystander is a concise collection of snappy, tight pop punk tunes that manage to sound both polished and punchy. In Yes Flag’s songwriting world, brevity is key and simplicity is a virtue – the average song clocking under 90 seconds. They don’t care about being original, they focus on keeping it real and playing the music they love with unbridled enthusiasm. Their self-deprecating humor makes the band all the more likeable. They had me at the first line of the opening track New Planet: “This one’s fucked, we want a new one.”