The fiery hooks on the new Downton Boys have a freshness that is lacking in lots of indie these days. Whether the lyrics are relevant or not during these troubled times, at least the riffs on Public Luxury have the force of real punk rock.
Opener "No Me Jodas" is all fury, heavy hooks and a near-metal sense of power here. Iggy Pop in the Eighties vibes abound. That the song roughly translates to "Don't Piss Me Off" or "Don't Mess With Me" adds meaning to what we're hearing, and places this squarely in a uniquely American tradition of homegrown punk rock. Elsewhere, the cow punk of "The City Begins" reveals a link between these East Coast folks and punkers from the heyday of West Coast punk, namely X and The Avengers. The jagged chords of "Sirena" are even better. Victoria Marie sings like her life depends on it and it's so refreshing to hear something that has some urgency about it. The cut swings in all the right ways, folks! While that one sounds a little like D.C.'s Priests, a band whose label Downtown Boys were on at one time, the gorgeous "Yellow Sun" blends Clash-y guitar twang with a more deliberate vocal performance from Victoria Marie. For all the power behind the more rowdy numbers here, it's the ones with some nuance that linger in the ear.
The heady mix of rhetoric and rock is what makes something like "You're a Ghost" stand out as something that seems more vital than most of what else passes for non-mainstream rock here in 2026. It feels like the world is on fire and Downtown Boys are the last band playing while that song cranks along. There's a lot of stuff on Public Luxury like that, and while there are some similarities to bands like X and Priests, lots of this sounds like the best early records from The Mekons and I can think of no higher praise than that. Highly recommended.
Public Luxury by Downtown Boys will be out on Sub Pop this Friday.
[Photo: Naomi Yang]