Review: Stud Count
The artists that brought you Drill Sargent, The Dividing Line, Academy Order, and Fluoride- Matt and Norelle Green are back and proud to bring to you Stud Count. This five-person punk band consists of Norelle Green on vocals, Bret Hart on drums, Jake Beaver on bass, Max D’ambra and Matt Green on guitar.
The band joined up in late 2019, right before the pandemic and, at that time, Matt had already written a full demo of 70’s style punk rock. The band still had some concerns about the demo, so Matt and his wife Norelle took to the mountains to work out some kinks.
Shortly after, the band had its first practice in an apartment in West Philadelphia.
As the pandemic began to worsen, the band had many uncertainties about where they could play their newfound music. The band sat on their full album until the summer of 2021; Now, fast forward to 2022 and ladies and gentlemen, here it is- Stud Count’s first full album- the aptly-titled Stud Count.
Opening track “The Way I Walk” opens with those awesome punk rock vibes that you used to get when you played Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater on PlayStation back in the day. It goes into a few verses talking about how it\’s easier to walk on dirt rather than streets or sidewalks, with singer Norelle Green singing ‘Give me the dirt, dirt, give me the dirt.’
“Through My Window” was one of the singles the band released back in May and is the longest track on the album, talking about letting people see through the window of your mind. The chorus here is equally soft and sweet.
“Give it Time,” one of the other singles features lyrics that scream ‘shut down.’ You can tell this song was written during the pandemic. With lyrics like ‘So here’s me tellin’ you, you gotta waste my time Out of step, steeped with regret from events on the line,’ you can’t not love this one.
One of the shortest songs on this album is “That’s How (I Get It). This song is short, sweet and to the point- talking about getting something from nothing and using concrete calluses and common sense as a way to get what you want in life.
Overall, this album is full of punk rock sounds and vibes. With great sounds and strong lyrics, if you enjoy bands like Buzzcocks or The Undertones, then you’re going to love listening to Stud Count on repeat.
Rating 8/10
-Tim Stepp