The Rocket Jocks have made contact with their second EP, documenting their Return to Planet X. The three piece from Gisborne have no doubt spent recent years rocking the locals from their tinfoil-lined garage and evading the Nibiru collision, efforts which have paid off in their 2010 release. 

I haven't seen them in live action before, but their 8 track audio attack left me thinking they'd put up a pretty good fight on a Saturday night electric showdown. The band is clearly inspired by punk rock legends The Ramones, and the 70s punk sound carries throughout the album. Their four chord songs are simple but catchy, with the power (chords) to drive off the most incessant technicolored robot army. 

While I'd be wary of drawing unwelcome analogies - the first track tends to indicate that, notwithstanding their similar style, the band are not diehard fans of The Huntingtons - The Rocket Jocks' sound is readily placed. What distinguishes the band from other Ramones rip-offs is that, unlike The Huntingtons - a 90s/00s quartet from Baltimore, USA, who borrow their sound from two decades earlier - The Rocket Jocks' EP sounds like it was written and recorded in the 70s after borrowing a couple of space loops from the future. All of which gives the album a genuine sound which I would happily line up in a track list alongside other greats of the decade like The Sex Pistols and The Clash. 

Though Return to Planet X is a decent listen, it suffers from the common punk music affliction of little song variation. The songs tend to follow the same formula: a fast power chord opening, semi-muted strums for the verses and a drum/vocal bridge. Not that it's necessarily a bad thing when you've got a good formula. Their style does show some variation, the second track Man vs Robot adopting a swing / rock-n-roll genre. And the vocals are strong, consistent with the 70s style and (thankfully) in tune. 

Overall I found Return to Planet X to be a stellar adventure and would recommend it to anyone with a penchant for classic punk. 

Four thumbs up.

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