The Tigermilks - 'We Don't Stand a Chance'

Twee may not be tru punx, but don’t tell that to the Tigermilks. The duo of Mitch Clem (bass/vox) and Jeoaf Johnson (guitar/drums) recorded a session of Belle & Sebastian covers in the great pop-punk tradition back in 2007. Four years later, the seven-inch, dubbed We Don’t Stand a Chance, is finally seeing release, thankfully, on Facepalm Records.

The blue ‘n’ white A side opens with a Fat Wreck-style take on “Get Me Away From Here, I’m Dying,” from If You’re Feeling Sinister, that manages to improve on the original. Clem nails the chorus hard and nearly sells the idea of toughening up Belle & Sebastian’s sound with this take alone. “She’s Losin’ It,” from Tigermilk, is a little looser and more straightforward. The background “bop” vocals are a little sloppy but they complement the arrangement.

Side B pulls another round of tracks from Sinister and Tigermilk. “My Wandering Days are Over” and “Judy and the Dream of Horses” are both a little more refined compared to “She’s Losin’ It” while still maintaining some No Idea-esque grit. Basically, these tunes recall just about any band that’s ever played The Fest, only with Stuart Murdoch’s lyrics. Weirdly, these tunes translate awfully well to pop-punk, and not even in an ironic Punk Goes Rap or Indie or Whatever the Kids Like way. It’s legitimately good and not a novelty (Well, not completely anyway). Pop-punk consists of nasal vocals, distorted guitars and songs about failure. The Tigermilks have that down and draw inspiration from an unlikely source, proving that the distance between twee and pop-punk isn’t as great as some may pretend (Looking at you, Pains of Being Pure at Heart).