“Sex Bomb” by Flipper
I write a lot of articles on music that I find really moving and inspiring, but this post won’t be one of them. There’s nothing to really “get” about this track — it just makes me laugh and wanna dance. It’s punk rock, but I think a lot of people who don’t necessarily like punk rock can still enjoy it. I feel like it’s a good gateway song to punk music that dilutes its grimy dive bar ethos with a healthy dose of groovy party rock. In fact, ever since I first discovered this track, I’ve fantasized about throwing it into a DJ set should I ever perform one.
This track kinda sounds like what would happen if Lee Ving of FEAR was forced to write a song at 110 bpm instead of his usual 350+ bpm comfort zone. It’s got saxophones. It’s got a slide whistle (or a synth that sounds like one. I’m not sure.) The band captures the slop and grime of punk rock, but the memorable bass line and tight horn parts on this track make it feel like a horribly butchered disco tune. The vocal performance is so stupid and gross, and I love it. It does such an amazing job of painting a caricature of the douchebag who publicly brags about how sexy his girlfriend is without realizing how lame he sounds. The only thing about this track that might nauseate people who don’t listen to much punk rock is the constant screeching throughout the song, but if you can learn to like or at least tolerate it, maybe you too might be inspired to play it at a party some day.
