Hardcore Superstar
Bad Sneakers And A Piná Colada

1945. An action taken by the USA shocks the world. The use of the atomic bomb disintegrates the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

2000. An unknown Swedish group shakes the world with an album. The record disintegrates the speakers of those who listen to it. Millions of deaths or at least fainting spells are reported upon listening to this masterpiece.

I have to say that debuts often make a bang, or at least more of a bang than subsequent works because they are fresh, genuine, and not yet tainted by the monster that is the music business (although many times it is only that which allows a band to debut), but this one surprised me a lot. The album sounds particularly rock & roll with more pronounced, decisive sounds that often verge on punk, but never quite enter the hardcore world (their title reflects the rebellious style of rockstars = sex, drug & rock 'n' roll). They, the Hardcore Superstar, are a group of four Swedes who formed in 1997 and released an EP titled "It's only rock & roll" a couple of years later and caught the attention of the record label Music for Nation with whom they released this "modified" and expanded version of their debut EP.

"Bad Sneakers And A Piná Colada" is something overwhelming, unlike anything heard in this genre for some time, with many references to sounds of purely '80s bands like Guns 'n' Roses, such as the singer's hoarse and sharp voice and Motley Crue, such as their glam spirit in dressing and makeup. It's from these foundations that their absolute masterpiece is born, matched only by their latest album, but that's another story and another genre (evolution). The album kicks off with a great Hello/Goodbye, a track bursting with a pounding drum rhythm and powerful riffs that contrast with Jocke Berg's high-pitched voice. You will never know is more danceable and smooth. Perfection is reached with the track called here Liberation, which inexplicably evokes the sensation of liberation from the title, and is listened to with admiration and a touch of nostalgia (it's very strange). Have you been around is more rock & roll than the previous songs, even if the comparison with Liberation puts it in the shadow.

Punk rock song is the most punkish, with touches of rock & roll contamination like the rest of the album. Beat you down is a slower and somewhat strange track that leaves you a bit puzzled compared to the contents of the CD. Rock & roll star is an exaltation of the rockstar lifestyle preceding that masterpiece, Someone special, a single-ballad extract that made them famous and pairs classic rock ballads with r&r sounds and a dash of Oasis that doesn't hurt. Sild song and Hey now!! are classic wild rock songs, while in Strapped their glam vein à la Motley Crue is present, as in Bubblecum Ride. So deep inside represents the most Guns N' Roses-like song of the entire album and gracefully closes this album where it is difficult to find a drop in tone or something that doesn't satisfy the listener.

Surely the rock & roll purist will adore them, but everyone who does not have a minimum passion for rock and, especially rock & roll, will not go much beyond the two singles Liberation and Someone special, but the vast majority of you will love them. I'm sure of it.

If you see them live, take all burn ointments because they are an erupting volcano, and rest assured that they will overwhelm you.

The most powerful weapon after the atomic bomb.

LINE UP:
- Jocke Berg - vocals
- Thomas "Silver" Silver - guitar
- Martin Sandvik - bass
- Magnus Andreasson - drums


TRACKLIST:
1. Hello - Goodbye
2. You Will Never Know
3. Liberation
4. Have You Been Around
5. Punk Rock Song
6. Beat You Down
7. Rock'n'Roll Star
8. Someone Special
9. Slide Song
10. Hey Now
11. Strapped
12. Bubblecum Ride
13. So deep Inside

GENRE: considered Hard & Roll