No Band Photo Vol. 1 - reviews
Now Wave Magazine: March 1999
[review of side R]
I love RUTH'S HAT because said band is one of the only pop outfits in America today who can make so much out of so little. Their formula is undeniably simple and their lyrics are quotidian at best, yet they manage to write song after song that is the very epitome of what good pop should be - catchy, fun, and capable of blissfully taking you out of your horrific world for two minutes. RH's key weapon is harmonies. Mike and P.J. Sloan double up their rich, resplendent voices like modern-day Everly Brothers, harmonizing over top of P.J. and Bolus' warm twin-guitar attack. If lead crooner Mike did not have such an alluring voice, or if P.J. didn't write such tasty three-chord pop tunes, the simplicity of the band's attack would sink under its own weight. But alas, Mike sings with a rich, soothing charm, and P.J. has the songwriting instincts to follow in the footsteps of Buddy Holly and Marshall Crenshaw. The three Ruth's Hat tracks on "No Band Photo" are pure pop candy. I especially like "She Didn't Leave". It has the undeniable appeal of the best hyper-fast crunchy pop, played with the kind of giddy spirit that few bands (Hi-Fives and Automatics would be two examples of bands that have this magic) can capture on vinyl. These Michiganian boys have the right spirit - they come off as silly, exuberant, and full of energy. If Buddy Holly and The Everly Brothers had boarded a time machine laced with laughing gas and crash-landed in the middle of the 90s "pop-punk" underground, they would have become Ruth's Hat. Those who enjoy the blue-waxed splendor of the three Ruth's Hat songs discovered on this double EP would be wise to explore the band's latest EP on SPG Records. (Josh Rutledge)
Maximum Rock & Roll March 1999
A Mutant Pop release with two songs each by the FRATELLI'S, SPODIE, PROMS and RUTH'S HAT. As usual decent and sometimes great stuff in the bubblegum pop punk vein. You know the Mutant Pop sound so if this is your type of ... (RL)
Beer Can Fanzine #2
There's 4 bands on here, The Fratellis, The Proms, Ruth's Hat and Spodie. The music is melodic and full of back-up vocals. The bands take us through 9 pop-punk songs and every one is about a girl. One girl's name is rock n' roll, another girl's name is Brenda and she's got a devil lock. One girl wears a mini-skirt, another wears short skirts. The sad thing is that these girls ignore these pop-punkers. They tell lies. They dance with other guys, and these young lovers can't even do their homework because they're so obsessed with these girls! All they do is call them on the phone, and when the girls won't talk to them, they write these songs. Songs that could very well be the great-great-grandchildren Jonathon Richmond's Modern Lover's songs from 1973. This record should have been called "Teenage Love Songs from Midwest Suburbia, Vol. 1". Beer Can Count: I don't think these kids are old enough yet.
Fracture fanzine #4
The four bands here you probably wouldn't have heard of -- THE FRATELLI'S, SPODIE, THE PROMS, and RUTH'S HAT. Well, as you'll probably realize, what with this being a Mutant Pop release 'n' all, the bands here are cute, poppy, influenced by the RAMONES, and of course all rule. Each have a different thing going for them, SPODIE are harder than THE FRATELLI'S, and THE PROMS are a little rawer than RUTH'S HAT, yet all are totally worth hearing. Mine came on blue wax, I'm happy. (Monk Dave)
Rats In The Hallway fanzine #11
First of all, let me say that I think that this is the best kind of compilation because you get multiple songs from each band. FRATELLI'S, THE PROMS, RUTH'S HAT and SPODIE each deliver one seven inch side of poppy punk, the kind where you know the lyrics before you hear the song for the first time. What it lacks in creativity it makes up for in sheer fun. With a cartoon cover and two blue slabs, this one will be gone quick! (John Fisher)
Flipside fanzine #118
Four pop punk bands. New. All have songs about high school love and how they ain't getting any except in dreams. SPODIE'S cymbal sounds like there's a hamster wrapped in duct tape getting whacked against a cinder block wall. The singer has that Brandon Dungian (CONNIE DUNGS) voice that sounds like a kid's cartoon character getting asphyxiated while running a marathon. For that I like them .... THE FRATELLI'S: ... They're in the shadow cast by THE QUEERS, more specifically Love Songs For The Retarded and don't make new shadow puppets beyond the existing outlines. RUTH'S HAT: ... Smooth, easily digestible blend of BEACH BOYS with real deal VANDALS (circa Peace Through Vandalism), shades of cowpunk and barber shop quartet, with lyrical laments about peeing. THE PROMS: ... saccharine sweet tough pop, including threats of punches in the eye with hand clap flourishes, tambourine rattle, and Happy Days vibe. If pop punk's your bowl of cereal and you're looking for the skins of young lions, check the commanding source of Mutant Pop. (Todd)
Punk Planet
Featuring the Fratellis, Spodie, The Proms, and Ruth's Hat, this EP showcases these young punk talents at some of their finest points. If you are into the (non-SoCal) pop punk, and hold a place for the Ramones in your heart, you will definitely dig this.
Hit List #2: April/May 1999
Four bands - the FRATELLI'S, SPODIE, the PROMS, and RUTH'S HAT - display their pop-punk wares on this EP, mostly in the QUEERS/SCREECHING WEASEL style. All of these tracks are solid, though most are not that memorable. The standout tracks are SPODIE's "Brenda's Got A Devilock" and RUTH'S HAT's "She Didn't Leave", and it comes with the fine packaging and colored vinyl we've come to expect from Mutant Pop. (JC)
