If having a ubiquitous hit by way of a TV ad was criteria enough for slating a record, then everyone from Groove Armada to Röyksopp would be guilty as charged. As it is, Steriogram and their chirpy rock-pop-punk-rap hybrid for the Ipod ads, ‘Walkie Talkie Man’ provided a refreshingly unpretentious moment of glory for the New Zealand outfit. And just as inevitable as their spots exploding, or their chewing losing it’s flavour on the bedpost overnight, ‘Schmack’ should see the Kiwi punk-popsters thrust into the same kind of chart spotlight as the Blink 182s, Sum 41s, and Good Charlottes of this world – all of which they quite clearly aspire to.
Pitched somewhere between the giggling, messy-cut, teen eagerness of McFly and the jerky, funk-rap of early Red Hot Chilli Pepper tracks like ‘White Trash’ and ‘Fat and Proud’ offer some surprisingly adept riffs and some lively lyrical gymnastics. The gravily Nirvana and Foo Fighters steals on ‘Go’ prove a little awkward, given the otherwise remarkably consistent vein the tracks pursue, but the suggestion of diversity on this track and on token slow-track ‘Be Good To Me’ alludes more to promise than it does preposterousness.
If in any doubt, try grabbing hold of a copy of ‘Tsunami’. It’s hardly ‘Teen Spirit’ – but bad it ain’t either.