Trash Rocket, a six-piece punk band in Fredericksburg, will release its sophomore project on Nov. 1. Titled “Lipstick Remedies,” it comes almost exactly a year after the group’s debut record.
On the new album, the core group of Monster Bonecrusher (lead vocals and guitar); Christopher “Hodge” Critzer (bass and vocals); Craig Graziano (keyboards and vocals); and Mikey Golas on drums has been expanded with “Lucky” on percussion and vocals and “Slamm” on guitar and vocals.
Monster and Critzer wrote the majority of the music for the first album, but “Lipstick Remedies” is a more collaborative effort featuring contributions from all of the group’s members.
“On ‘Hold My Thoughts’, one day I was just playing a drum beat and then Craig started messing around on keys then Hodge jumped in,” Golas said. “We were waiting around for Monster to get ready, so I was just being bored and loud then they all started playing along.
“When she was ready we stopped and she said, ‘Why did you stop? Keep going.’ So we ended up writing a song just like that.”
The song “Locrian” started as a challenge for Critzer to write a song in the Locrian mode, a variation on the traditional eight-note major scale that starts on the seventh step, which gives it an exotic and bluesy sound. While the song was built around Critzer’s bass line, he credits the rest of the group for adding all the additional parts.
While much of “Lipstick Remedies” is upbeat Ramones-style punk, the title song is reminiscent of the early 60’s girl group sound. Golas said he was inspired by the soundtrack to the movie “Hairspray” to create an echoey drum intro and even suggested adding handclaps for a catchy hook.
“The Feels” is a song that goes back a lot further than the rest of the material on the album.
“That was the first song that I ever wrote,” Monster said. “I think I was 20. Everything was exactly as I had written it 14 years ago except that I changed the second verse to be more accurate to how I was feeling.”
The lead-off song “Mosquitos” has some unique sounds from Graziano’s keyboards that mimic the insect’s buzzing.
“Hodge was generous enough to lend me this synthesizer that has so many sounds,” Graziano said. “I was exploring them and that was a perfect sound.”
Lucky pointed to “Mosquitos” as her favorite song on the album because of Monster’s belting delivery and the band’s increased volume and drive on the repeat of the second verse at the end of the song:
I take what I can hold,
I’m open to what unfolds,
The world’s a mess and we are stuck,
I’m still here giving a f***
“Lucky encouraged me to sing out more on Mosquitos,” Monster said. “I’m really proud of those lyrics, so I especially belt those out.”
Many of Monster’s vocals are subtle and melodic, but the lyrics themselves are often intense and deal with loss and pain. The song “Hold My Thoughts” starts with:
Wake up the world isn’t over,
Always looking over my shoulder,
Why make life so complicated?
You gotta let it go
Like their debut, “Lipstick Remedies” was recorded at their friend Jay Kole’s home in Richmond with engineering by Matt Luger. The rough mixes were then remixed and produced by Critzer.
The CD is on Allegedly Records and will be available at the record release show on Friday, Oct. 25 and the Fred Flea Market at Maury Park on Oct. 26.
If you go
Trash Rocket Lipstick Remedies record release party, Friday, October 25th, 8 p.m. with Alpha Jerk and a showing of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show”, Reclaim Arcade, 2324 Plank Rd. $15 at the door includes unlimited gameplay.
