Review: “Do Something Drastic” by Mallwalkers

There is a reason there are certain albums that take me mere moments to find the right words for, and a reason why some become so personal; the wall between reviewer and fan start to blur (which will explain my fashionable lateness here).

Over two years ago, several months before the pandemic, I attended the last show from a band that’s been a staple to the Buffalo Punk scene for over a decade now: Mallwalkers. Little did I know, we would also see two years later, after a show to end all shows, an album to end all albums. Mallwalkers final album Do Something Drastic, marks the end of an era for a band that helped shape a scene that brought us acts like Lemuria, Velvet Bethany, Failure’s Union, and Utah Jazz.

Do Something Drastic, delivers the energetic pace, absurdist lyrics, and the brilliant blend of ska, new wave, math rock, and Riot Grrrl punk, they’re known for. Throughout the album, there is a culmination of the comical, yet passionate brand of strange that is uniquely them, set on full display.

In track #8, “Totally Wired,” what starts out to be the making of a song meant for dancing and jumping to, turns quickly into a giant middle finger to the brutal brunt of our capitalistic infrastructure. Already following the first verse: “I drank a cup of coffee / and took some of these / NOW I’M TOTALLY WIRED,” the bridge goes, “you don’t need to be weird to be WIRED / you don’t need to be American, to be BRANDED.” It’s more than implying, but addressing the ways we slowly burn ourselves out for the sake of systems we barely believe in.

From the first track “Me Without You,” all the way to “Half Let Down,” a thunderous orchestra of ska-reminiscent horn sections, mathematic guitar licks, heavy-hitting bass, curb-stomping drum kicks make their presence felt, all accompanied by new wave revival vocals. Mallwakers’ 16-track grand finale shows the Buffalo punk ensemble remains changed by the times, but not bought by the times. Mallwalkers’ curtain call album shouts a collective of sorrows into a desperate world. Giving up the ghost, but not giving up their fight, Do Something Drastic is the band’s defiant parting gift, encouraging a generation of young punks to embrace the weird, the awkward, and the rust belt.

You can find their last album on Spotify, Apple Music, and here at Bandcamp.