England’s Male Bonding Are Back To ‘Tame the Sun’: Buzz Cut

The English punk group Male Bonding are back on the music scene with their sophomore album Endless Now, set to be released on indie record label Sub Pop later this month. Since the release of their well-received debut album Nothing Hurts in 2010, the London trio has been busy touring, writing, putting out singles and collaborating with the Dum Dum Girls and Vivian Girls.

When I saw them open for Ra Ra Riot last September, it was great to see and hear Male Bonding’s calm-cool attitude and English accents clash nicely with the thrashing, live punk music at the show.

“Tame the Sun”, from Endless Now, embodies the band’s sound perfectly. Kevin Hendrick (on bass) and Robert Silas Christian (on drums) set up an upbeat tempo in the introduction, and the added guitar distortion, courtesy of singer John Arthur Webb, lets us have a good thrashing around. But Webb’s vocals, which creep in from below, bring the song back down to earth.

So while we mosh around in true punk fashion, Male Bonding still allows us to feel that relaxed, grounded vibe that bands like the Velvet Underground wielded so well. It’s the ever-present, ever-popular “we’re so cool but we don’t care” effect.

Endless Now will be out on August 30 (August 29 in the UK), but you can download “Tame the Sun” now for free here or stream the track below.

Photo from Male Bonding MySpace page