No Age
No Age are part of a crew you want to roll with. They are the ‘big deal' at The Smell, once an estoric all-ages venue in an alley of Downtown LA. "NO AGE Weirdo Rippers" remains written above the load-in dock of the venue since the album’s release last year. Now the sheer association with the Smell has been taken to the next level, elevating the appeal of many talented bands who have been playing there for as long, if not longer, than No Age—Health, Bad Dudes, Mae Shi, Mika Miko are some names that may sound familiar. It is a destination created by the excellence of the bands, No Age at the head of the pack.
Randy Randall and Dean Allan Spunt, guitarist and drummer respectively, are No Age. For your friends who haven’t heard the band yet, let them know their records Weirdo Rippers and Nouns would make more sense if you try cranking Joy Division in one ear and Mission of Burma out the other, with a notch of Stiff Little Fingers subliminally spanning across the earwaves. No Age combine everything you didn't quite understand about art punk and power pop, and blow it up into some loud new wave post punk riot with lots of filler noise essential to the band’s messy sound.
The power duo combines a blend of underground and jangly, convulsive guitars and raucous drums over barely audible vocals, creating a balance between chaos and melody. They defy a brand of sonic assaults without being abrasive or disheartening. No Age remain tough to swallow but are uplifting and triumphant, without being anthemic or going out of their way to impress.
No Age make it easy to become part of here said crew. From their iconic rainbow-spectrum shirts that simply scream “NO AGE,” to exhibiting their amiable dorkiness in High School Record, a mockumentary with Mike Watt and numerous Smell members about teenage drama, and Dean’s own label PPM that has helped peers Abe Vigoda and more, simply by having their name recognized by a trusted source. And if in thirty years No Age are still recruiting crew members, it means we may just have witnessed a band as important to the history of punk music as Watt himself. CAROLINE PARTAMIAN
