Cult Crime are back, and this time they sound like they’ve been drinking the Ramones’ water while listening to the Dead Boys scream. The Toronto punk band’s second album, Fully Automatic, arrives on October 30 via Static Shock, and the first two tracks, “Final Dose” and “Just Like A Knife,” make it clear this is not a band looking to polish their sound. This is a band looking to bury it in muck and noise.
The story starts in 2023, when Cult Crime was not a band at all. It was a solo project for Matthew Menard, who plays in Psychic Void. Fast forward a few years, and Cult Crime has become a four-piece, pulling in members from Chain Whip, Imploders, and the Vapids. Their debut LP came last year, a rough, trashy record that leaned on ’70s and ’80s punk rock. Now they’re back with a second album, and it sounds like they’ve doubled down on everything that made that first record work.
From Solo Project to Four-Piece
The growth from solo to full band is the funny part of this story. Menard started Cult Crime on his own, and now it’s a four-piece operation. That kind of expansion rarely happens this fast. Cult Crime have added members from Chain Whip, Imploders, and the Vapids, and they’re already releasing another album.
“Fully Automatic”
The tracklist runs eleven tracks deep, and the first two singles, “Final Dose” and “Just Like A Knife,” are the ones we’ve heard so far. Both songs draw heavily on the Ramones and the Dead Boys, which is the clearest signal yet that this album is going to be loud, fast, and not particularly concerned with subtlety.
What “Final Dose” and “Just Like A Knife” Sound Like
The two tracks we’ve heard are the first tracks from the album. “Final Dose” and “Just Like A Knife” are basement punk for people who wear sunglasses indoors at night. They are not subtle. They are not refined. They are two tracks that want you to feel the dirt on the floor.
The Ramones influence is obvious throughout. The Dead Boys influence is also present, though perhaps less so. Both tracks share a reckless energy that suggests Cult Crime are not interested in playing it safe. This is punk rock that wants to be remembered for its noise as much as its hooks.
The Tracklist and the Release Date
Fully Automatic is eleven tracks long, and the tracklist shows a band working through a full record. It opens with “Final Dose” and “Dine In Debt,” then moves through “Just Like A Knife” and “Total Waste” before settling into the title track, “Fully Automatic.” The record runs its course through “Behind The Badge” and “Out For Blood” before finishing with “Dying In The City.”
| Track | Position |
|---|---|
| Final Dose | 1 |
| Dine In Debt | 2 |
| Just Like A Knife | 3 |
| Total Waste | 4 |
| Cold Case | 5 |
| Fully Automatic | 6 |
| No One On The Line | 7 |
| Product | 8 |
| Shot To Hell | 9 |
| Behind The Badge | 10 |
| Out For Blood | 11 |
| Dying In The City | 12 |
The title track sits at position 6 on the record. Fully Automatic is a grimy, reckless rock ‘n’ roll attack, and the title track is part of that attack.
The Ramones and Dead Boys references are not incidental. They are the foundation of these two singles. This is a band that knows exactly what they want to sound like, and they are not afraid to say it.
The release date is October 30, and the album is on Static Shock. That’s the full picture. Cult Crime have announced their new album, and they have given us two tracks to judge it by. The verdict on those two tracks is simple: they are messy, they are loud, and they are exactly what this band should sound like.
This is a band that knows what it wants to be, and it’s a band that is not interested in being anything else.
See the a run of 18 images at Stereogum.
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