If pressed to describe Senton Bombs in a word, it would have to be ‘solid’. Their albums to date have all been dependable rock albums – not necessarily the most adventurous, but without any obvious duffers anywhere, it’s a bigger compliment than it probably first sounds. And having scored a support slot with Superuckers on their 30th Anniversary tour, it seems that their consistency – as showcased ably on 2016’s ‘Mass Vendetta’ is getting them the recognition they’re due.
Wrapping up the year with ‘Outsiders’ seems fitting, and once again, it’s pretty much back-to-back punchy rock tunes. There are hints of country here and there (as the cover art hints), and on the slower punk-tinged anthem that is ‘Reckless Youth’, they hint more at the Undertones than Guns ‘n’ Roses, and that’s no bad thing (‘Bury the Hatchet’ is a bit ‘Paradise City’, mind, albeit crossed with some stomping roustabout folk action).
It’s not just the songs that are solid, and played with an admirable degree of economy: the solos are kept concise and none of the tracks overstay their welcome. And the production is solid, too: impressively so, in fact, with the guitar sound being nice and beefy and a big, dense bass sound driving the riffs along.
At this rate, they won’t be outsiders for much longer.